Ulterior Motives
by Jade Symphony
Summary: **ON HOLD** As the only Weasley girl, Ginny fights to be her own person, and jumps at the opportunity to study acting away from home. But a dangerous plot is stirring and Blaise steps into the picture. How does this involve Ginny?
1. Chapter 1

**Pairing:** Blaise/Ginny

**Rating:** PG-13 for now

**Summary:** As the only Weasley girl, Ginny fights to be her own person, and jumps at the opportunity to study acting overseas. But there is a dangerous plot stirring and Blaise steps into the picture. How does this involve Ginny?

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing you recognize from the _Harry Potter_ books or movies.

**A/N:** My first HP fic. Constructive criticism or encouragement welcome! No beta so if there are any mistakes, let me know! Now on to the story…

**Chapter ONE**

It had been three days since the start of summer and Ginny was already planning ways to make her escape. One would think that with the fall of Lord Voldemort the summer after Harry's seventh year that the tight reins her family kept around her would finally be loosed. After all, it has already been a year and the feared Death Eater uprising never took place.

But no, Ginny thought sourly, for some reason her parents and brothers seemed to put even _more _restrictions on her freedom, never mind that she had aptly contributed to the war. Of course, those final battles made them all value family life that much more.

Even Percy had come back into the Weasley fold. There had been tentative steps between Percy and the rest of the family before, but when he heard that Ginny wanted to study theater in America, it was as though Percy never left. He became the same overprotective older brother Percy always was.

Ginny loved them all for caring, but really, what could happen to her at university? Honestly, New York City really wasn't all that far by port key.

Ginny heard a knock at the door. "Ginny? Can I come in?" Hermione asked hesitantly.

With a sigh, Ginny turned to face the door. "It's open."

Hermione poked her head in. "You want to talk?" Ginny waved her hand toward the bed, so Hermione neatly sat down and smoothed the wrinkles from her skirt to give her something to do.

Ginny plopped back from her position on the bed and buried her face in her pillow. "Hermione, my parents are being unreasonable!" She mumbled through the pillow.

"Well, they just don't see why you can't study acting in London," Hermione reasoned.

"They let Charlie and Bill go off. I don't see why I have to stay just because I'm a girl," she pouted. "And anyway, the program in New York City is quite different. I want something that'll challenge me."

Ginny had the opportunity to study acting during her last year at Hogwarts and discovered a hidden talent for the theater. Everyone was pleasantly surprised. Right after graduation, the New York City Witch's Institute for the Performing Arts offered Ginny a scholarship.

Ginny was elated at the opportunity to attend. However, Harry had started his auror training along with the rest of the golden trio and revealed that there were rumors that several uncaptured Death Eaters fled to America after Voldemort's death. In fact, the most dangerous of them were possibly convening in New York City somewhere.

"See, it's all Harry's fault. He should never have said anything. It's not like we're together anymore anyway. He doesn't have the right to tell me what to do!" Ginny knew she was being unreasonable, but she didn't care.

"Gin, you know that if Harry hadn't said something Ron would have. We all heard the same rumors," Hermione argued. Seeing Ginny's mutinous face, she sighed and relented. "I'll keep talking to Ron. I mean, maybe I can see if he'll convince your parents to let you go. He'll be there too to help the team verify those rumors. Perhaps if we said he can keep an eye on you, they won't be so worried."

Hermione and Ron had a strange relationship. After a disastrous six months of dating, they both agreed that a relationship would never work. But anyone with eyes could tell that they were more than just friends, regardless. Out of them all, Hermione had the best chance of talking some sense into Ron, who, next to Percy, was the most adamant about keeping Ginny close to home.

"Are you kidding? Ron is worse than Mum! If he so much as _catches_ me talking to a boy these days, he throws a curse first and asks questions later. I can't imagine what kind of army he would have surrounding me in New York City. No, I don't think even you can change his mind about that," she concluded glumly.

Hermione bit her lip and looked down again, absentmindedly playing with her skirt. She knew Ginny was right, but she hated to see her look so defeated.

"But I've got to think of something," Ginny murmured, ideas already formulating in her head.

Alarmed, Hermione looked up. "Ginny? What are you planning?"

Ginny just smiled.

**-THIS IS A PAGE BREAK / NEW SCENE-**

The room was as dark as night and stank of sweat and stale tobacco. A figure sat at the bar, deep in the shadows. A hat of some sort covered his features. He had been watching the figure for some time. Putting his drink down on the scarred wooden table, he found the courage to approach the figure and gingerly sat down on a stool next to him.

"Er, can I buy you another drink?"

The figure merely turned around and stared.

"Right," the young man said uneasily. "Er, I was s-sent to meet you." He cursed the stutter that he was unable to repress. Pursing his lips, he sat up straighter. "Your usual contact is indisposed and-"

"What's my assignment?" The figure interrupted. "And remind my contact I said this is my last one. I said I'm out and I am," he hissed.

He narrowed his eyes, annoyed that he couldn't quite hide the shiver of fear he felt at the figure's tone. Afterall, they were near the same age. But danger seemed to emanate from the figure they way it didn't from him. Suddenly, he hated him, whoever he was.

"There's a girl," he told the figure abruptly. "We need you to watch her and befriend her. Whatever it takes. She may be the key to destroying the Order and resurrecting the Death Eaters. All the information you need is in the file. Memorize it. The ink disappears in 10 minutes."

"Why was I chosen for such a simple task?" The figure asked after a brief silence.

"You know the girl from your Hogwarts days. I doubt you had any friendly interactions at the time, what with her standing in the Weasley clan and her strong support for the Order, but the higher ups thought it might prove to be useful, your prior association."

The boy personally thought he himself would have been a better choice, but kept such thoughts to himself.

"And what do I do once I gather this information?" The figure asked, not even glancing at the file.

For the first time, the young man relaxed. With a sinister smile, he turned to face what he assumed was the figure's eyes. "Rape, torture, murder, which ever. As long as she's permanently silenced in the end."

* * *

A/N: So what do you guys think? 


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: As always, everything you recognize from the _Harry Potter_ books or movies is not mine!

* * *

"Ginny! There is no way you can apparate from London to New York and back again every day! Do you know how absolutely _exhausting_ that is?" Hermione shrieked. 

Ginny winced at the shrill tone. "Herms, I really think-"

"No!" Hermione interrupted. "There has to be some sort of health risk here. I think I read that in our auror health guide book somewhere about international travel methods. And besides, you're going to get caught eventually!"

"Well, I'm sure I won't have to go back and forth _every_ day," Ginny argued. "Luna has an apartment in London. I'll tell everyone I'm moving in with her and just have her cover for me. As long as I see Mum and the boys at least once a week, they won't suspect a thing," Ginny insisted stubbornly.

"This is ridiculous," Hermione huffed. "There has to be some other way."

"Such as?" Ginny challenged.

There was a moment of silence as Hermione tried to think of some alternative methods. "Look, didn't you say that the there was a summer program in Italy that you were invited to attend?" Hermione suddenly asked after some contemplation.

"Yes," Ginny agreed a bit cautiously. She wasn't sure where Hermione was going with this. "But they didn't offer me a position in their school. It's only for the summer."

"Look, I was going to go to America with Ron and Harry this summer to further my auror training. Well, there is a contingent going to Italy, too, to set up a foreign office and strengthen our connections with Italy's aurors. I can ask to join them instead. If you go to Italy this summer and nothing happens to you, perhaps they will not worry so much about America this fall. And I will be there in Rome, too, so they won't feel that you will be there alone. What do you think?"

"Well, it's possible," Ginny admitted. "Though unlikely. And what if they still disapprove?"

"You can always just go anyway. You're old enough, so they can't exactly stop you. Fred and George didn't exactly consult your mother before dropping out of Hogwarts, did they? Besides, maybe after seeing your progress in their summer program, perhaps they might invite you to be a full-time student there, too."

"I'll think about it." Ginny finally said.

Hermione breathed a sigh of relief. Before she could respond, however, there was a knock on the door and both Harry and Ron stepped into the room.

Ginny narrowed her eyes. "Get out! I'm still not speaking to either of you!" And with that, she started lobbing shoes at their heads. Surprisingly, the girl had quite a lot shoes.

"Ow! Ginny! You can't-ow!" Ron yelled.

"Gin, we just came to-" Harry tried to reason, before ducking another well-aimed missile.

"Ron, Harry,just go!" Hermione pushed Harry and Ron out of the room and slammed the door shut. Harry just barely missed the book aimed at his head.

"Just promise me you'll seriously consider it," Hermione said, smiling weakly at Ginny's fuming face."You'll need to give them an answer soon about the summer program."

"Alright fine! I'll go. Just keep Harry and Ron away from me!" Hermione nodded and left the room.

**-:--:--:--:--:--:--:--:-**

Sweat trickled down his broad chest, past his washboard stomach and into the waistband of his pants. After completing his last round of sit-ups, Blaise finally stood up, stretched, and moved to grab a towel. The sound of a splash made him jerk his head in that direction.

"Zabini, did you get your next assignment?" A surprisingly warm female voice asked. With a frown, Blaise turned to see Pansy lounging at the edge of the jacuzzi located a few feet away. She treated herself to a thorough examination of his body before looking back up into his eyes with a grin. "Well?"

"What are you doing here?" Zabini asked, ignoring her question. He went back to rubbing his face with the towel."This is a private club."

"Which is why I'm here," Pansy said smoothly. She slowly emerged from the jacuzzi wearing a bright yellow string bikini. Sauntering over to Blaise, she lifted her hand to brush a sweaty lock of hair off of his forehead.

Blaise grabbed her wrist before she could reach his face. "Again, what are you doing here? I thought you were Draco's whore."

Pansy looked up into Blaise's 6'2" frame and smiled provocatively. "Why, are you jealous?" In disgust, Blaise let her go and pushed her away from him. Pansy narrowed her eyes and dropped the seductive voice. It obviously wasn't working."Besides, you know I am always wherever Draco wants to be. So obviously, Draco must be here. And you didn't answer my question."

Blaise contemplated. If Draco was here, she must be relaying information back to him. "Yeah, I got my assignment. If Draco wanted to talk, he should ask me personally, not send his minions to do it for him. He isn't _that_ high up the ladder."

Pansy's lips thinned in annoyance. "Draco and I are _partners_." Blaise snorted. Ignoring him, Pansy continued. "Not that it's any of your business, but Draco received a last-minute call back to the office, so I offered to come early and meet you here in his stead. Draco should be down soon to discuss your next assignment."

Blaise sighed impatiently. "There's nothing to discuss. I go to New York and-"

"There's been a change in plans." Both Blaise and Pansy turned to greet the newcomer. "You're needed in Italy."

* * *

A/N: Ooh, and the plot thickens! Sorry, no Ginny/Blaise interaction yet. But soon, I hope. So do you like it? Hate it? Click the little blue button down at the bottom and let me know! 


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing you recognize from the _Harry Potter_ books or movies.

**CHAPTER THREE**

Established in the 1800s, _Wridgewood_ was created for the enjoyment of London's wizarding elite. In fact, it still served its purpose today. Since the death of his parents during the war, Draco Malfoy considered the club like a second home.

He wearily approached _Wridgewood_'s entrance and barely spared a glance for the ornate carvings that were hand crafted on the establishment's wide double doors. Low lights, plush red carpeting, and the low hum of conversation, music and clinking wine glasses greeted Draco as _Wridgewood_'s doors opened for him.

Upon entering, Draco straightened up, pulled his shoulders back a bit more, and carefully wore a mask of stoicism as he passed aquaintances, powerful contacts, and the club's lowly house elves. After all, Malfoys never showed signs of weakness if it could be helped.

He bypassed the club's public rooms and made his way down to the lower levels that housed the club's spa and recreational rooms. This was where Blaise went for his twice weekly exercise routines and Pansy went to look pretty for Blaise. It was too bad for Pansy that Blaise absolutely despised her. Draco supposed that his pity for Pansy's feeble attempts to be noticed was why he tried to be more tolerant of her nature. Draco shook his head to clear away his wandering thoughts. He had no time for that. There were too many other things to worry about right now, including briefing Blaise on his new assignment.

Why Italy suddenly seemed to become the place to be was beyond Draco's comprehension. It would be nice if someone would just make up their minds! He suspected it was somehow the fault of one of the so-called "Golden Trio." All complications can somehow be traced back to one of those three. Trouble seemed to follow them and of course Draco always ended up being inadvertently involved in some way.

Long hours and an overworked mind was probably making him unreasonable, but in his current irrational state, he really didn't care. For the moment, Draco could honestly say the world would be a much more peaceful place without Potty, his sidekick Weasel, and know-it-all Granger ruining things.

Draco stopped at the entryway. As usual, Blaise looked perturbed and Pansy was being clingy. Surprisingly, they were actually discussing business matters, so he stepped in to join the conversation. "There's been a change in plans. You're needed in Italy."

"Why? What happened to New York?" Blaise asked.

Draco remained silent. Since leaving Hogwarts, he had become much more secretive. It was much more difficult to get information out of him these days. Whatever happened in that last year at Hogwarts had changed him. No one quite knew where one stood with Draco these days.

"Does it matter?" Draco finally responded. "Just go to Italy. You leave tomorrow. Your cover is the same, just moved to a different location." At that, Draco removed a roll of parchment from his robes. "Here are the details. Report to me or Pansy weekly with news. The usual set-up if you need to speak sooner."

Smiling, Pansy sidled up to Draco and clung to his arm. "What will we be doing? Do I need to prepare a cover for us?"

"No need. I already have one. You and I are vacationing at the _Palazzo della Perla di Roma_ in Wizarding Rome. Go shopping or do whatever it is women on vacation do," Draco said dismissively. "I'll be renewing some contacts as we wait for news from Blaise."

Pansy stepped back and put a hand at her waist, completely offended. 'Whatever it is that women do?' What was that supposed to mean! Draco of all people should know there was more to her than that! She glanced Blaise's way and naturally he was smirking."That's all I am to you? Eye candy!"

Draco shrugged."Then don't go. The penthouse is only in my name anyway."

Blaise laughed as Pansy's jaw dropped. "Sometimes I could really hate you!" With a growl, Pansy stalked off in a huff.

"Just let me know by tomorrow morning whether you're going," Draco called after her irritably. A clock somewhere rung the dinner hour and Draco raised a brow at Blaise inquiringly.

"I need to shower and change. We can go over details," Blaise replied. Now that Pansy was gone, they could talk business.

Draco nodded. "I'll go secure reservations."

**-:--:--:--:--:--:--:--:-**

Hermione managed to secure the last space in the group going to Italy, and it took Ginny and Hermione three days to convince Mrs. Weasley, Ginny's brothers and Harry that Italy was a good opportunity for them both. Mr. Weasley was in agreement with Ginny and Hermione from the beginning and helped them to convince his wife to let them go with less fuss. They were leaving in a couple of days and the two had been happily packing, planning and shopping.

At the moment Mrs. Weasley, Ginny and Hermione were situated in a field a few miles away from the house bidding Harry, Ron, and Mr. Weasley good-bye. The three were on their way toAmerica by portkey to join the rest of the aurors in New York City. Officially, Mr. Weasley was there on Ministry business and had brought Harry and Ron with him for an impromptu vacation. The rest of the Weasley clan had said their good-byes back at the house, but Ginny and Hermione begged Mrs. Weasley to let them go with her to see them off. Mrs. Weasley had cried the whole time, holding tightly onto Mr. Weasley's hand.

"I still don't like it," Ron argued. "You should come with us!"

"Ron, I'll still join you in September!" Hermione assured him. "Besides, you wouldn't want Ginny to go all by herself, do you?"

"That's another thing!" Ron exclaimed.

Hermione could already see the signs of another tirade. "Oh Ronald! You're always so dramatic!"

A few feet away, Harry and Ginny were saying good-bye, too. Hearing the two arguing and bickering, Harry and Ginny laughed. Harry pulled Ginny into a tight hug, breathing in her scent. Tucking her head underneath his chin, Ginny closed her eyes, wishing things between the two of them could have worked out. "I'm going to miss you," she whispered.

"You're not still mad at me about New York? I just wanted to keep you safe," Harry mumbled into her ear.

With a sad smile, she looked up into Harry's eyes. "No, but you have to understand that if by August I still want to go to New York, you can't really stop me." Harry nodded, his eyes troubled.

"Ron, Harry, it's almost time," Mr. Weasley called.

Mrs.Weasley was sobbing and tried to give some last-minute instructions to her husband. "Arthur, you be safe!" Mrs. Weasley ordered. "I know you can't write, but if you can just get a word..."

"Molly, I'll be fine. I'll watch the boys, and check into the Ministry's New York offices as soon as I can to let you know we arrived safely."

"Why they couldn't have someone else go is ridiculous. You're a father of seven children!" Mrs. Weasley pulled another handkerchief from her purse, since the previous three were already soaked.

"Seven _grown_ children," he gently reminded her. "Come now, it will be fine." He pulled her into a hug.

Harry and Ginny reluctantly let each other go. Before he went to join Mr. Weasley, Ginny pulled him into another hug and impulsively kissed him. Blushing at Harry's surprised expression, Ginny explained. "Look, I know you're coming back safely and that we are really over, but I just couldn't let you go without, you know, saying good-bye."

With a huge smile, Harry kissed her again. "I'm glad." They held hands as they went to join Mr. Weasley, who was holding onto a used paper cup.

"Now Ron, you listen to everything your father says. You, too, Harry..." Mrs. Weasley instructed. "Now, has everyone got their bags? Be sure to leave nothing behind."

"I'll see you in September!" Hermione gave quick hugs and kisses on the cheeks toRon and Harry. She and Ginny both hugged Mr. Weasley good-bye.

"Alright boys?" Mr. Weasley held out the paper cup. They all grabbed it with one hand and their bags in another,and a few seconds later, they had disappeared.

There was a moment of silence before Mrs. Weasley gathered Ginny and Hermione to leave. Ginny looked a little down. "It'll be our turn, next," Hermione encouraged.

* * *

A/N: Watch for Blaise/Ginny in the next chapter! 


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing you recognize from the _Harry Potter _books or movies!

* * *

It was a beautiful summer morning and Hermione and Ginny were both sitting on a bench outside the Italian Ministry of Magic Building waiting. "Well, I do get moments off. It's not like I'm on a dangerous mission or anything," Hermione said with some hope. 

"You know I'll be fine. It's just Ron and Harry and my parents who think I can't do anything by myself," Ginny assured with a shrug.

All of the plans that Ginny and Hermione made to get together seemed almost for nothing. One of the aurors scheduled to go to Rome was unable to join the group at the last minute, so Hermione was going to be playing a bigger role on the trip than was initially planned. This meant that Hermione needed to leave for Italy a day earlier than expected. While Hermione was excited at the opportunity, she was worried about how Ron and Harry were going to react when they realized that she wasn't going to be able to keep as close of an eye on Ginny as they would like.

Their conversation was interrupted as Remus Lupin approached them from behind. "Well, are you ready, ladies?" he asked. Remus, who was a part of the group going to Italy, was escorting both girls on the trip. "I hope you have all of your bags."

Hermione took a quick assessment of her cart and slowly nodded. "Yes, I believe so. Are we going to have a chance to exchange currency anywhere? I wasn't sure if we would need to enter Muggle Rome for any reason and didn't have the chance to go back to Diagon Alley."

"I don't think you'll need to worry. Your added duties come with an expense account. But if you still need to, Gringotts does have a branch here," Remus explained. "How about you, Ginny? Do you have your bags or need anything?"

"I already sent my things to the hotel ahead of time, so I only have my purse and papers," Ginny answered. Since Ginny was arriving a day early, she would be staying at a hotel for the night and leaving for the Isabella Fusilli School for the Performing Arts the next morning. There, she would be joining the rest of the students for orientation and to learn more about her new living arrangements.

"Well then, let's go inside." Remus led the girls to a door located to the side of the building.

Hermione and Ginny gasped in awe as they entered a huge room with several levels. Large platforms and rows of fireplaces were located everywhere and every few feet were kiosks with desks and people in orange robes. "Rome's floo and portkey station is connected to the Italian Ministry of Magic building so that they can monitor all who leave and enter the country. They're still working on long-distance apparitions," Remus explained.

Remus neared a corner of the building where several elevators were located. "Ginny, this is where we part. Hermione and I must go upstairs. I believe from here, you just follow this hallway and stop at the first kiosk you see. They should be able to direct you," Remus instructed.

Ginny smiled. "Thanks, Remus. I'll see you, Hermione."

Hermione beamed and the girls hugged. "We have each other's addresses, so write as soon as you get to your hotel." Hermione waved one last time before she and Remus disappeared into one of the elevators.

Smiling, Ginny followed the hallway Remus indicated and approached a kiosk where two women in bright orange robes were stationed. A short woman in her late 30s sat to one side and was on the phone speaking in brisk Italian to someone, while an older woman with dark hair stood to Ginny's right. Ginny approached the desk and checked in, using the confirmation number and card she received after purchasing her ticket. She was quickly directed to a floo station nearby, and in no time at all, found herself in Rome.

The hotel she booked herself into was about a 15-minute walk from her floo point, so she took this opportunity to explore her surroundings a bit as she found her way to the appropriate street.

There were several groups of people waiting for the next bus, and a line of expensive carriages and cars were ready to collect their owners or important guests. She was just passing these rows of vehicles when a sleek black muggle limousine neared the street, driven by a large man with dark features.

Surprised, Ginny stopped to stare. She had heard about such cars from Hermione and Harry, but had never seen one for herself. It was a big difference from her Dad's old Ford Anglia. The man got out of the car, walked over to the passenger door near to where Ginny was standing and opened the door.

It was probably rude, but she peered inside to see what important person was waiting to exit the car, but she realized that the car was empty. The man simply stood there, waiting. He turned his head and seemed to be staring at her. Feeling a little nervous she looked to her right and left. Surely he wasn't here for her? Did this strange fellow want _her_ to enter the car?

Ginny stiffened when she heard a low chuckle behind her. Whoever it was leaned in close. She could smell the scent of his spicy cologne and feel his breath warming her neck and ears. "Excuse me, _cara_, I believe this is my ride."

Her eyes widened. Suddenly feeling foolish, she realized she was blocking the direct route to the limo. Whirling around, she stammered out her apologies."Oh! I'm so sorry! I- _Blaise_?"

And there he was, laughing at her, "Ginny, I knew it was you the moment I saw the color of your hair. Only a Weasley has that particular shade of hair."

To say that Ginny was shocked was an understatement. "Wh-what are you doing here? And stop making fun of me!"

Chuckling, Blaise leaned in close again and tucked a stray lock behind her ear. "Who said I was making fun of you?" He said softly.

Blushing, Ginny stepped back and looked up with a scowl. He looked almost nothing like the boy she remembered. Blaise's facial features were sharper than she remembered, and he was now a few inches taller than Harry's 6 feet, with broad shoulders and what looked to be a solid chest.

There were some things that were still familiar, though. His black hair still tended to curl across his forehead, and he always had those dark, mysterious eyes and open smile, though that smile was rare in public. And she should have remembered his spicy cologne and unique male scent.

She realized she'd been silent for too long and brought herself out of her reverie. She hoped he didn't notice her scrutiny of him. "Well, whatever it is that brings you to Italy, I doubt we'll be seeing each other often, so if you'll excuse me, I'll let you be on your way."

"Now wait a minute," he called, catching her hand as she moved to walk away. "Maybe I heard you were here and wanted to be near you," he teased.

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Right."

"Where are you staying? We should have dinner. Catch up," he persisted. Ginny didn't know what his game was, but she had no idea why they should even speak after all this time. The last time she saw him was the end of summer before his final year at Hogwarts, when his family withdrew him from school. That was a difficult year for everyone, and she would rather not re-live it again.

Ginny pursed her lips. "A lot of time has passed, and you had a whole year after Voldemort was gone to catch up, and obviously, neither of us was interested. So let's just part ways and forget this ever happened."

Blaise sighed. "Ginny, you know how things were at the time, with the war going on. And that's not even getting into things with Potter, Ron and Hermione."

Ginny shook her head. "Really, I don't want to talk about it." She pulled her hand away and moved to turn away again, determined to get away for real this time.

Blaise looked up and uttered a low expletive. Ginny suddenly found herself with her face smashed into Blaise's chest--which was _quite_ solid, by the way--at the juncture of his neck. "Listen," he whispered sharply into her ear, "there's no time to explain. Just trust me, okay?"

Ginny gasped in disbelief as she struggled to free herself. "Trust you?"

She didn't get a chance to say much more as Blaise pushed her against the limo,captured her face with both hands, and devoured her lips in a ferocious kiss.

* * *

A/N: I re-wrote this chapter dozens of times and I'm still not satisfied, but oh well. Let me know what you think... 


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing you recognize from the _Harry Potter_ books or movies.

* * *

Ginny froze, shocked that Blaise was snogging her as if his life depended upon it. How did they come to this? She came to her senses and moved both hands on his chest to try to push him away, but soon lost all reason again when he gentled the kiss slightly. She felt his fingers caress her cheeks before they trailed down her neck, skimming her arms and curving around to rest on her shoulder and back in an almost protective gesture. 

There was a loud commotion behind Blaise, but all of that was a world away as Ginny found herself responding to the kiss and tentatively parted her lips, allowing his tongue entrance. With a groan, Blaise leaned forward aggressively and took complete possession of her mouth. She moved her arms down his chest, past his ab muscles and grasped tightly to his slim waist.

Without stopping the kiss once, Blaise backed her into the limo with him following close behind. The chauffeur closed the door, and walked around to the driver's seat, waiting for further instructions. Reluctantly, Blaise ended the kiss and let go of the leg he didn't realize he was holding against his waist.

"Gin, do you have any bags or any other personal possessions you need to pick up?"

Bemused, Ginny was still in a haze as she struggled to comprehend his question. "Wh-what? Oh! I, er, um, no. Just my purse and map." Looking around, she was surprised to find that her purse was still on her shoulder, but her map was lost somewhere. She recalled having some traveling papers and luckily remembered that she had stuffed them into her purse before leaving the floo station. She must have dropped the map somewhere when they were..."Hold it, what's going on? Why am I in here? What was that about?" She completely ignored the fact that she was an active participant in that kiss.

"Look, I can't tell you here. Just trust me that you're in danger. Let me take you to your hotel or wherever it is you're staying and I can explain there." Blaise saw the indecision in her eyes and hoped she agreed soon, because they were running out of time.

Ginny was perplexed. "You kissed me because I'm in danger?"

He would really rather not get into everything now, so he told her enough to hopefully convince her to come with him. "All right. Listen, there are some people here. I can't say who. And I was trying to hide your face before they spotted you. But with your hair, they're bound to at least suspect who you are and come over to check you out. So I had to do something to block their view of you."

Of course, there were other methods he could have used, such as simply pushing her into the limo and slamming the door closed, but then he would have had to deal with Ginny's wrath later. And if he was going to have to deal with her temper, at least his way gave him the chance to do something he used to have nightly dreams about doing. Well, they did a whole lot more than snog in his dreams, but he pushed those thoughts away for the moment in order to stay focused on the current conversation.

Ginny didn't know what to say. She was confused and a big part of her wanted nothing to do with him. But what if it was true and she _was_ in danger? She was saved from having to respond by a sharp rap on the passenger door. Blaise hissed at her to stay silent before he pushed a button that made the window go down a crack. Ginny made a mental note to find out later why Blaise was using a muggle vehicle. Her father would have been fascinated by this contraption.

A security officer appeared at the window. "Sir, you need to move," he said in Italian.

"Yes, thank you." Blaise responded abruptly.

The officer was about to turn away when Ginny called out to him. Ignoring Blaise's glare for ignoring his warnings to stay silent, Ginny spoke to the officer. "Sir, is there something wrong?"

"There's been an altercation, but the persons involved have been apprehended. We just need to clear the area."

"What happened?" Ginny called again as the officer was about the turn away again. "If you don't mind me asking," she asked hastily.

"Some scuffle over a girl, I think. At least, I heard some shouts about spotting some girl here. We apprehended them when they started drawing out their wands. Can't have that here, especially in these times. We'll let them go once they cool down a bit. It's probably just a family matter. Maybe a daughter ran away," he replied.

"Thank you for the information. We'll be out of your way," Blaise assured him with a smile. The officer nodded and left. Blaise immediately rolled the window back up and turned to Ginny, who had turned quite pale. "Gin, it's okay. Maybe the officer's right and I was just jumping to conclusions," he soothed.

Ginny pulled her hands away from Blaise's grasp. "That's quite a coincidence," she said sarcastically. "Blaise my Italian may be a little rusty, but I'm not an idiot. Just tell me what's going on!"

Blaise let out a deep sigh. Things were _not_ going as planned. "Dante, please head back to the house," he instructed the driver. "Gin, are you staying at a hotel? Now that we know they spotted you, we'll need to cancel your reservations if you are. I'll explain everything once we get to my place."

Ginny narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms. "You'd better start explaining some things now!"

**-:--:--:--:--:--:--:--:-**

Back at the Italian Ministry of Magic, Remus Lupin and Hermione were still on their way to their destination. The lift stopped on the fourth floor, and Hermione and Remus approached a glass wall and door that was protected by wards as well as a muggle security system. All Hermione could see through the glass wall was a long hallway with white walls and beige carpeting. Several tall wooden doors presumably leading to offices flanked both sides of the hallway. "Stand back, Hermione," Lupin cautioned. After a few incantations, the wards allowed Remus to approach. He placed his fingers on a pad and was then allowed to approach the door. He pushed a button, and a voice asked him to state his business. "It's Remus Lupin. I have Hermione Granger with me." Hermione was surprised that he spoke in English rather than Italian.

"You may enter," the voice instructed after a brief pause. Hermione heard a chime before the wards were briefly lifted. A beep sounded, allowing him to open the door.

"Come in, Hermione," Remus encouraged.

Hermione hesitantly entered, and was surprised to find that she now entered a large room with hardwood floors and pale yellow walls. It resembled her parents' dentistry office. Red cushioned chairs lined the walls and a coffee table offered various newspapers and business-oriented wizarding magazines in all sorts of languages. A large receptionist's desk took up most of the space, and blocked the way into a single door.

Hermione turned around back to the glass wall behind her, and saw the row of lifts she just left. Smiling, Remus Lupin placed a hand on her shoulders. "Another precaution." He ushered her towards the large receptionist desk. A small woman with thinning hair and oversized glasses entered from the single door, and closed it behind her.

"Yes, you are Mr. Lupin and Ms. Granger?"

"We have an appointment," Remus replied.

"Mr. Lupin, you may enter." she handed him some sort of badge to wear. "Ms. Granger, please give me your hand. We needto verify your identity." She tapped Hermione's hand with her wand, and Hermione's hand briefly glowed blue. After a brief nod, she also handed Hermione a badge. "You also may enter."

A portion of the receptionist desk disappeared, allowing the two through the door behind her. Hermione followed Remus through a series of hallways before they approached another desk. "Mr. Lupin, Ms. Granger, they are expecting you," a young woman greeted. At her words, the office door to her right disappeared, allowing access to the office inside.

A tall, intimidating man in his early 50s sat behind a large executive desk. His face was lined with a deep frown. "Remus, we have a problem," he said ominously in a gruff voice. "Please, sit down. I believe you knowt he two present."

Hermione smiled in welcome as she saw ProfessorMcGonagall, butfroze in shock as she turned to see Draco Malfoy, smirking down at her.

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A/N: So what do you think? Please r/r! 


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: **Sorry! It's been crazy. I've been having trouble uploading stuff so I had to wait until that got resolved. And before that I accidently deleted my chapter right after writing it. So I had to go back and re-do it, but of course it won't be the same as the original. If something doesn't make sense, please let me know.

**Disclaimer:** Nothing you recognize from _Harry Potter_ is mine!

* * *

"You!" Hermione accused. She reached for her wand, but Remus grabbed her forearm in time. In confusion, she looked up at him in question.

Remus cautiously let go of her arm. "Hermione, there are things you don't know, things I need to explain," he warned her in a low tone.

"Mr. Salvatore, please meet Hermione Granger. She is a new member in our auror training program and is here to strengthen her knowledge on diplomatic relations. Hermione, I'd like to introduce you to Eduardo Salvatore. He is head of the Italian Ministry's Auror Department," Remus introduced.

"Miss Granger." Salvatore nodded in greeting and held Hermione's hand in a firm grip.

"I'm pleased to meet you, sir. But I don't understand why Draco Malfoy, a wanted criminal and known Death Eater is here in this room?" Hermione kept a suspicious eye on Draco, who was leaning casually against a chair arm as he kept his hands in his trouser pockets.

"Miss Granger, I am well aware of Mr. Malfoy's official international status," Salvatore began. He turned to face Professior McGonagall. "Minerva, perhaps you would like to explain."

Minerva nodded and began explanations as Hermione looked on in confusion. "Hermione, Draco Malfoy has been working with us undercover since your and his sixth year at Hogwarts to inform us of any Death Eater activity. His information had been invaluable during the war, and he continues to work for us in an unofficial capacity to this day."

Hermione could only just stand there in disbelief. Before she could come up with a suitable reply, though, Mr. Salvatore interrupted. "I apologize, but explanations must wait for another time. As I mentioned earlier, we are here to discuss a problem that has cropped up."

At this, Draco straightened from his position on the chair arm and spoke up. "I was on my way to meet Professor McGonagall for our usual exchange of information," Draco began, "but on my way over I passed by Colin Creevey entering a seedy bar in Knockturn Alley. Summer just began, but he was in a heavy coat and I saw some files peaking from under his arm. He looked a little nervous and hid himself in his coat as he rushed inside the bar."

Hermione frowned. "Doesn't Creevey work for the _Daily Prophet_? Maybe he was just meeting a source about a story."

Draco frowned impatiently. He didn't like being interrupted. "The last I heard, Creevey was a photographer, not a journalist. If anything, he would be taking pictures, but he didn't have his camera with him."

Hermione didn't like Draco's tone. "He could just as easily be a messenger or something. Maybe he was doing someone a favor and picking up or dropping off something for a story for a friend or coworker," Hermione argued.

"Hermione, perhaps we should listen to Draco's entire story. There may be some clues that can tell us more," Remus interrupted gently. Hermione frowned, but stayed quiet.

Draco ignored Hermione and faced Remus instead. "He dropped some papers from that file he was holding. I'm a nice guy," Draco stated. Hermione gave a snort at this, but Draco again chose to ignore her. "So being the gentleman I am, I picked it up and was going to call Creevey back, but I noticed it was a picture of Ginny Weasley and a class schedule of what looked to be some school in New York."

Hermione was a little troubled at this but shrugged it off. "Colin and Ginny are friends. He probably has plans to visit her in New York this fall. Like you said, he's a photographer. It wouldn't be all that strange for him to have her picture. For all we know, he could have a crush on her," she reasoned.

"Are you just that stupid?" Draco exclaimed.

"Mr. Malfoy, there is no reason to be insulting," Minerva reprimanded.

Draco took a step back and tried to calm down. In frustration, he combed his fingers through his hair. "Why would he take her picture to some bar in Knockturn Alley of all places? Anyway, there was also a list of some top Death Eaters attached to her picture and that schedule. Care to explain that?"

Hermione exchanged worried glances with Professor McGonagall. Hermione was the one to convince Ginny to join that summer program. Would it have been safer to keep her at home where her family can protect her, or was it a good idea to take her away for a while, especially now that they know Ginny could possibly be hurt?

"Mr. Salvatore, how does this relate to you?" Remus asked.

"If this Ginny Weasley girl is in New York, I don't know how this is connected. But I discovered through some contacts that most of the Death Eaters on Creevey's list are convening here in Italy." Eduardo Salvatore picked up a roll of parchment on his desk. "Remus, here is the list found with Miss Weasley and the second column contains a list of known Death Eaters thought to be here or arriving here within the next week or two."

Hermione gasped at his news and stumbled back, hitting the back of her knees against the chair behind her. "Oh no, Ginny," Hermione whispered, her face pale. She collapsed back into the chair.

Draco and Salvatore sent Hermione a sharp look. "What do you know?" Draco demanded, stepping closer to Hermione.

"Ginny's here in Italy," Remus explained soberly. Minerva gasped in worry.

**-:--:--:--:--:--:--:--:-**

Blaise looked out of the window for a bit at the passing scenery outside before looking back at Ginny, who was glaring at him as she waited for his explanation. It wasn't supposed to happen this way. Blaise wrestled with how much he could reveal and what was safe to reveal.

He took a deep breath and released it slowly. "Since the death of Voldemort, a lot of things changed. My family has always been neutral, so some of the more - er - _fervent_ Death Eaters hated us, for not picking sides. To them, maintaining neutrality was just as bad as being a muggle supporter. Of course, those not so close to his inner circle still favored us."

"What does this have to do with what happened out there?" Ginny asked.

"I'm getting to that," Blaise replied. He looked away. "Well after Harry vanquished him, a lot of Voldemort's supporters went into hiding. My family found out that there were some Death Eaters that were never suspected or maybe just didn't get caught were approaching us to hide them in case the Order discovered their secret activities."

Ginny's eyes widened. "You hid Death Eaters!" She nervously looked at her surroundings. Ginny realized that in a way, she was trapped in this car with Blaise and no one even knew she was here. Who knows what could happen to her?

"No!" Blaise yelled, surprise making his voice sharp. "My family wouldn't do that! Didn't I tell you we were neutral in this stupid war? I can't believe you'd think I'd let that happen after all we..." Blaise got quiet.

Ginny was silent for a while. "So what did you do?" she finally asked.

"My family refused to hide them, but we didn't turn them in, either. We didn't have any real proof anyway. Those that revealed themselves to us were very careful about how they came out to us." Blaise gave her a worried frown. "Some of the ones who came to us were more understanding, but the ones closer to Voldemort's cause and his inner circle didn't take it too well. They vowed to remember this slight when Death Eaters ruled again. They were a little crazy. I mean, they _really_ hated us and any pureblooded family who would support muggles."

"So those people out there. Were they after you?" Ginny asked fearfully.

Blaise shook his head. "No. They're not after the Zabini family anymore. Well, not really. I mean, they still don't like us, but I don't think they're after our blood or anything. I think my dad suggested to them some people he heard might be of help," he admitted reluctantly. He turned away again and looked out the window. "Not quite offering them protection, but maybe some people who might be able to offer them protection. I don't know. He might have done more. My dad doesn't talk about it."

Blaise looked back into her concerned eyes. "But they _are_ after you. The Weasleys may not have much money, but they are still a pure-blooded family. And those people despise the fact that your family is one of the strongest supporters of wizard-muggle relations. I don't know if they even saw you, but I didn't want to take that chance," he admitted.

Ginny was speechless. "What do I say to that? I mean, I'm supposed to be here to study acting. I'm not even involved in any of those politics. Am I going to have to cancel all my plans because of all this?" she turned away in frustration. It was like all of her ambitions, her plans, her _life_ was being put on hold because of those stupid Death Eaters. Why did it seem like it all only affected her? You didn't see Ron or Harry or even Fred and George having to change their plans because of this stupid war that won't go away.

Blaise leaned forward and captured one of her hands in both of his. Placing a careful kiss on her palm, he leaned forward. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "We'll work this out. Just stay with me tonight at least. I'll take you wherever you want to go tomorrow. But just come home with me now. I have some connections. They might be able to tell me if I'm just being paranoid or if there really is a problem."

Ginny pulled her hand away. She was so confused. All she wanted was to join the Fusilli School and get on with her life. Now there were possible Death Eaters and Blaise had suddenly come back into her life. And even though she and Harry were over, she couldn't help but feel guilty about the giddy feeling she felt when she first saw Blaise again after so long.

"I- I don't know. We can go to your place for now, but I need to think. And if I want to go back to my hotel tonight, I'm going," Ginny insisted.

Blaise nodded, relieved to have gotten Ginny away from the immediate threat at least. But as soon as he was able, he was going to have a serious talk with Draco about all of this.

**-:--:--:--:--:--:--:--:-**

Colin Creevey stepped out of the shadows as his hired minions were apprehended by the floo station's security guards. He smirked. Just because he wasn't given the assignment to watch over Ginny didn't mean he couldn't manipulate the situation and sort of help things along a little. Maybe some of the higher-up Death Eaters would take note and give him some worthy assignments.

Suddenly Creevey was grabbed by the throat and pulled back into the shadows. "And what do you think you're doing?" the figure hissed menacingly. He loosened his death grip on Creevey's throat and grabbed a handful of his robes instead, slamming Creevey's back hard against the brick wall.

Creevey winced as he gasped for breath. "I-I just…"

"Listen to me. I work alone. If I'm handed an assignment, I handle it. Do you hear me? Anymore _helpful_ surprises from you and I'll see to it your body is never found again. You understand?" the figure threatened.

All Creevey could do was nod. The figure gave him a sinister smile. "Good. But just to make sure you learned your lesson…" Creevey whimpered as the figure side-along apparated him away.

* * *

**A/N: **So what do you think? 


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N:** I'm going to try to delve a little bit more into Ginny and Blaise's past and give you a few teasers on their relationship. Hope you enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **Anything you recognize from _Harry Potter_ belongs to JK Rowling!

"What the bloody hell is she doing in Italy?" Draco exclaimed. "Must I do everything!"

"What do you mean by that, Malfoy?" Hermione asked suspiciously.

"It _means _where do you think Potter heard those rumors about Death Eaters and New York from? Knowing Potter's protective streak, I thought surely he would keep the She-Weasel under lock and key at home. Obviously he failed even that," Draco said with disdain.

"Enough," Eduardo Salvatore ordered. "We must find Miss Weasley's current whereabouts and protect her until she can be sent home."

"Ginny's never going to agree to that," Hermione worried.

"Surely she will listen to reason," Minerva said. "Once she hears of the dangers-"

"But that's just it," Hermione interrupted. "I'm the one who convinced her to come in the first place," she explained miserably.

"All we can do now is ask her to come in and hear us out," Remus soothed. "I admit I don't know Miss Ginny Weasley that well aside from those final battles, but as I recall she's an intelligent girl."

Pacing, Draco shot another glare Hermione's way. "I just knew you had to be to blame in all of this somehow," Draco accused.

Offended, Hermione stood up. "You idiot!" As a precaution Draco reached for his wand when Hermione shot up.

"Children!" Professor McGonagall thundered before either could say more. "If you cannot act like adults, neither of you need to stay for this conversation!"

Chastened, both quieted down on opposite corners of the room. "Miss Granger, if you have Miss Weasley's contact information, I will have my secretary get in touch with her while we come up with a solution," Salvatore invited.

Hermione nodded. "Ginny should be at the hotel by now." She wrote down what she knew on some parchment before handing it over to the secretary outside, asking that she be notified the moment the secretary was able to get in touch with Ginny.

"I've been thinking. It might be to our best interest if we keep Miss Weasley here with us rather than sending her home. She may be the key to the capture of these rogue Death Eaters," Salvatore was saying as Hermione returned to the room.

"Must we involve her?" McGonagall fretted.

"Minerva, she is already involved just by her presence here," Salvatore reminded her.

"I think she's a complication we don't need right now. Keep her in London while we deal with these Death Eaters," Draco suggested.

"How did they know that she was even going to be here? They probably have the floo network and all apparition centers monitored," Remus said. "It may be a danger to move her at all."

"I don't care what we do. I just want Ginny safe," Hermione added.

At this point, the secretary entered Mr. Salvatore's office after a brief knock. "Excuse me, but the hotel manager says that a Miss Ginny Weasley has not yet checked into the hotel."

"What?" Hermione asked, alarmed. "But she must have arrived ages ago!"

"I'm sorry. Would you like to speak to the manager yourself? I can get back in touch with him for you," the secretary offered.

"Do you think she decided to explore the area before going to the hotel?" Remus thought.

Hermione shook her head. "It's just not like her. Something must have happened."

A sharp buzzing sounded. "Excuse me," Draco said. He pulled out an oddly shaped case from his pocket, which was transformed into a Muggle cell phone, and began heading towards a quiet corner in the room.

"Is that what I think it is?" Hermione asked quizzically.

"We've taken to adopting some of the more convenient Muggle devices. With the right charms, they can be made completely untraceable," Remus explained. "But we have to keep such things hidden. Wouldn't want them to get into the wrong hands."

Hermione nodded slowly, deep in thought about the potential of other Muggle devices.

"What!" Draco exclaimed. "Keep her there. I'll be in touch." All eyes turned to Draco. "I've found Ginny Weasley."

**-:--:--:--:--:--:--:--:-**

Ginny was silent throughout most of the ride to Blaise's home. She was just so confused. Was she doing the right thing by going with Blaise now, or should she ask him to turn around and take her back to her hotel?

And what if Blaise was right and those people were after her? She got chills just thinking about the danger that could bring to her family. Rubbing her arms absentmindedly, she looked away from the window and down to her lap—anything to avoid looking at Blaise.

"You cold?" Blaise asked hesitantly. Startled, Ginny looked up. "You're rubbing your arms. I just assumed you were cold," he indicated.

"Oh, I'm fine." Ginny looked away again, obviously uncomfortable.

"We should arrive soon. Is there anything you need?"

Ginny sat up abruptly. "Oh, Hermione! I need to talk to Hermione and tell her what's going on," Ginny remembered. "I don't know how to get in contact with the Italian Auror Department, but I'm sure if I send her an owl, she'd get the message."

"The Italian Auror Department?" Blaise asked sharply. "Is Hermione Granger here in Italy?" Blaise's mind was racing. Draco typically stopped by their offices the first day he arrived in Italy, which meant that he should be there today. Did he know about Granger being here, or was this an unexpected development?

"Yes, on some international relations thing, I think. And Remus Lupin should be there, too. If there really is a danger, we need to notify them. Why didn't I think of this before?" Ginny smiled in relief. "If you don't mind, maybe you can just take me there. I'm sure if there is a danger, they can handle it. In fact, maybe I could even go back to my hotel tonight."

"We're here," Blaise announced with some relief. He needed to keep her distracted while he made some plans. "I might have some contacts at the Italian Ministry. I'll show you to my library. You go write your letter, and I'll see what I can find out about Hermione's whereabouts."

"Thank you." Ginny looked around, in awe at Blaise's estate. Done in creams and golds, the home was sprawled across several acres of land and had a fantastic view of the city.

"Right this way." Blaise kept a hand at her lower back under the guise of leading her into the house. They passed through a stone archway into the main courtyard, where a fountain and several leafy plants and flowers resided.

"This is beautiful. Has it been in your family long?" She loved that the house was so roomy, yet only two stories tall. It was almost the complete opposite of the home she grew up in. While she loved her childhood home, it wasn't exactly her dream house.

"Actually, I've only just completed it this year. I've been designing it for a long time." Blaise stared proudly at his home.

Ginny looked a little sad. "Since Hogwarts, maybe?" And suddenly Ginny remembered.

_It was lunch time on a Saturday and they had the entire weekend to themselves. Sitting by the lake with his arms wrapped tightly around her, Blaise nuzzled her neck and left a small kiss there. "How about we compromise? If you promise that we can move to Italy when you graduate Hogwarts, you can decorate our house any way you want it."_

_Ginny grinned and looked up into his eyes. "You already know what I want. Something pretty and new. Peaceful. You know, that will last a long time. And lots of space for our children to grow. That's all I want."_

"_And one day, I'm going to give that to you," Blaise swore._

Blaise slowed to a stop, realizing what he let slip. He cleared his throat uneasily. "You know it's been a dream of mine to have my own place."

Yeah, Ginny remembered those dreams they once shared. In the back of her mind, Ginny knew that this was what she feared about coming here. And if she stayed long enough, she knew she would come across an ornately carved door with a brass handle and a beautiful nursery inside.

Closing her eyes, Ginny could almost see the room. It would be designed like those Muggle Disney fairy tales with woodland animals, maybe a cute little cottage, and of course a castle painted in the distance. Just like she always wanted.

Ginny looked away before Blaise could catch sight of a stray tear. "Well no wonder I like it. You did a great job," she added quietly. Blaise, too, looked a little sad. But she wasn't ready yet to go into all of that with Blaise. "So where is this library you mentioned?" Ginny broke away from his light hold and began heading toward the large double doors ahead.

"Gin, I didn't mean-" Blaise began.

Ginny sped up her pace. "I need to start on that letter to Hermione," she interrupted.

"We'll need to talk eventually," he said.

She finally stopped and turned back to face him. "But not now," Ginny begged.

Blaise could see the faint glistening of tears in Gin's eyes. It always did break his heart to see her cry. So he let it go. Again. For now.

In silence, he led her to some parchment and a quill. "I should be back before you complete the letter. I'll get in touch with my contact and see what can be done about locating Hermione."

Ginny ignored him as she furiously began composing her letter.

In a quiet room two doors down, Blaise pulled out his wand and changed an old book lying on a desk back into a cell phone. Punching in a familiar number, he called Draco. Hopefully he would know about Hermione's whereabouts and what to do about Ginny.

"Yes?" Draco answered crisply.

"I'm not calling in on the status of my mission," Blaise replied quietly. "There's been a complication. I have Ginny Weasley here and she almost got in the way. She's asked that I get in touch with Hermione Granger."

"What!" Draco exclaimed. Blaise drew back in surprise. He expected Draco to be displeased, but not scream over the phone about it. "Keep her there," Draco ordered. "I'll be in touch." With that, he hung up.

Shaking his head in confusion, Blaise transfigured the phone into a lamp and locked the room. Ginny was still writing when he returned to where he left her. "Did you find Hermione?" Ginny asked him without looking up.

"There was no answer."

Ginny looked up suspiciously. "Is this some trick so you can stop me from returning to my hotel?"

"No, I told you I'd help you locate Hermione, and I will," Blaise insisted. "I'll try again in an hour. Until then, are you hungry? Thirsty?" Blaise asked hopefully. Ginny looked at him as if he had lost his mind while he wondered how he was going to keep her in one place until Draco could get back in touch with him.

* * *

**A/N:** About the nursery Ginny imagined. I couldn't decide which Disney fairy tale to use, so I chose a common theme found in Bambi, the ending of Alice in Wonderland, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, etc. Hope you're following the story so far. Please R/R! 


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N:** Sorry this chapter is so late. But I hope you enjoy anyway! This one took a lot of re-writes, but I'm sort of okay with how it turned out. If you see any mistakes, just let me know!

**Disclaimer**: Don't own them, not claiming them, so don't sue me!

* * *

"So where is she?" Hermione demanded, scrambling to her feet. 

"We must bring her in for questioning," Salvatore added.

"I don't have the details yet, but I've got someone watching her, keeping her safe," Draco carefully replied.

"Who is keeping her and where is she? Why did your contact call you specifically about Miss Weasley?" McGonagall pressed.

Draco stiffened. "Do you think I have something to do with Ginny Weasley's disappearance?"

"That's not what she's saying! But now that you mention it, it is suspicious that someone called _you_ specifically about Ginny's whereabouts!" Hermione accused.

Before Draco could respond with a biting comment, Remus interceded. "Listen, we don't have time for finger pointing. Draco, while I'm sure you believe she is in capable hands, it is better if she is with us until we can learn more about this situation."

"The Italian Ministry wants nothing more than to protect Miss Weasley until we can deal with this Death Eater uprising. Somehow she is a key to all of this sudden activity, and if we can't question her, things may get worse," Salvatore announced. "Mr. Malfoy, you will bring her here, today if possible," Salvatore ordered.

Draco reluctantly nodded in agreement. He had to agree to bring Ginny in, but it was important to keep Blaise's name out of all of this. Maybe there was a way to spin this so that Blaise looked like he was only very indirectly involved.

"My contacts can't be revealed. They agree to send me information and do me favors as long as their names and assistance are kept strictly private. I will bring Ginny to you, but not how I came by this information." He looked carefully at everyone until he had everyone's attention. As usual, Hermione was visibly impatient, but she managed to keep her mouth shut for once.

"My sources know that I wanted to monitor Ginny Weasley for the next few weeks. So when she unexpectedly appeared in Italy, they manipulated the situation so that Blaise Zabini, who is known to have a past with Ginny Weasley, bumped into her again. He was sent on a bogus errand that brought him into contact with Ginny, where I assume they reconnected. Zabini knows nothing about my involvement with your office and I want to keep it that way. I'll come up with some story to get Ginny here, but none of you can have anything to do with it."

"Very well. But whatever story you concoct, you must inform me immediately," Salvatore directed.

"I want to come," Hermione spoke up. "Ginny and I are friends. She's much more likely to come with me than Draco Malfoy any day. I'm sure whatever story Malfoy had in mind can be changed so that it explains my presence, too."

Draco snorted. "Get real, Granger. There's no way I'd let myself be seen with you out in public, much less escort you to the house of a friend."

Hermione narrowed her eyes. "If you want Ginny's cooperation, you'd better have me."

"I agree with Hermione. It wouldn't hurt to have her with you," Remus said. Salvatore, Minerva and Hermione all looked over at Draco expectantly.

"Fine," he replied tightly, not at all pleased with this new development.

"Very well. Now that I have escorted Mr. Malfoy here, I must return to Hogwarts and my duties as Headmistress. I trust you all will keep me apprised of this situation?" Professor McGonagall announced. Eduardo Salvatore stood up and escorted her out of the office, wishing her a safe journey home.

"We'd better go, too, if we're going to retrieve Ginny Weasley." Draco headed towards the door and Hermione quickly followed him.

"Keep in touch and let me know if anything comes up," Remus said.

Hermione nodded in agreement. "Mr. Salvatore, once we return with Ginny, can I take a look at any files available on Ginny and her connection to these Death Eaters?"

"We can discuss that on your return. Please retrieve Miss Weasley quickly. Remus, I'd like for you to stay a while so we can go over some matters."

"We can meet now if you like. There are some things I want to go over with you, too, outside of this situation. Draco, Hermione, I'll see you two later," Remus said as he ushered the two out the door.

"Let's go," Draco instructed the moment the door closed.

"I thought the apparition points were downstairs?" Hermione asked, hurrying to catch up.

"There's a less public one closer to Salvatore's office," Draco explained.

Growing uncomfortable with the silence between them, Hermione spoke up again. "So, um, why did Professor McGonagall leave so quickly?"

"Well, she does have a school to run," Draco drawled. "Besides, since our graduation, they've managed to keep a decent Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher around, but for some reason, no one wants the Potions Master position." Draco raised a brow at her, practically challenging her to respond.

Hermione bit her lip and said nothing more. No one talked about Severus Snape these days, particularly his untimely death in the last battle when he unexpectedly saved Harry from a nasty curse by a fellow Death Eater. To this day, Hermione still wasn't sure whether Snape was really an Order member, or whether it was just a moment of weakness when his conscience got to him.

Draco stopped abruptly in front of an empty section of wall, and Hermione just looked around, puzzled. A door finally appeared. It took a few moments, since the apparition room was in use before their arrival. It all reminded Hermione of the Room of Requirement back in Hogwarts days.

The room they entered had just enough standing room for two people. "Stay close," Draco told her. "We're going to have to do a side-along apparition."

In no time at all they appeared in a plush hallway in front of a large set of double doors. "I don't understand. This looks like a hotel or something. Does Zabini live in a hotel penthouse?"

Draco unlocked the doors. "Inside."

Hermione looked suspiciously at the empty room inside and crossed her arms. "No. Not until you tell me what's going on."

Draco leaned in close and Hermione refused to budge, even though Malfoy was crowding her. "Listen. If you're coming with me, there are things you're going to need to know. But I'm not taking you if I don't think I can trust you. So are you going to listen to what I have to say, or do I take you back to Salvatore's office right now? Because if I think you're going to betray me you're not going with me."

**-:--:--:--:--:--:--:--:-**

Ginny wasn't sure how Blaise talked her into it, but he managed to distract her and she found herself having lunch with him instead of leaving for the Italian Ministry of Magic as she wanted to do.

They were sitting on the veranda, which offered magnificent views of Blaise's seemingly endless property. "I can't believe you're here," Blaise marveled.

Ginny remained silent throughout the meal, alternating between playing with her salad and staring out at the countryside.

"I bumped into Michael Corner the other day. He married Cho Chang, you know, right out of Hogwarts. I still hate him for dating you in your fourth year," Blaise remarked. "Good thing I matched him with Cho," he chuckled. "You hexed me pretty good for doing that."

Ginny gritted her teeth, hoping he would just stop talking. She couldn't believe just how much she missed him, but being here with him in this house brought back all of these memories and all of the reasons why she never wanted to see him again.

"I thought after Corner that there was my chance!" Blaise mused. "But then you moved on with Dean Thomas. He was _much_ harder to get rid of."

Why wouldn't he stop? Ginny couldn't help but wonder. After the way things ended, how could Blaise expect her to sit here and reminisce about old times? But no matter how upset she was, a part of her still hoped that Blaise had a good reason for his actions. She was trying to repress that part of her.

"Do you remember coming to my parents' house that summer when we were together? To this day, Dad still calls the lake behind the house Ginny's Place," Blaise grinned, popping another piece of chicken in his mouth.

Ok, enough was enough. Ginny couldn't take much more of this. She let her fork drop and it clattered against the dish. "If I'm going to be here, we're going to get some things straight." Ginny crossed her arms and stared tensely across the table at Blaise as she waited for his answer.

Blaise stilled, carefully laying his own fork down. Grabbing his glass of ice water, he took a sip and leaned back against his chair. "Okay," he replied cautiously. He knew Ginny would have a lot of questions, but unfortunately most of them were things he couldn't tell her without affecting other people.

"You didn't come back to Hogwarts after Harry defeated Voldemort," Ginny stated. Blaise was about to respond to that, but Ginny cut him off.

"I know about your being out of the country. I'm not talking about that," Ginny told him impatiently. "I'm not even talking about your lack of letters to me. You told me the end of that summer that you would do everything in your power to come back to me, and obviously your coming back was out of your hands." Blaise winced at Ginny's tone and looked away.

Ginny continued. "My main problem is that when you did return to England, you had every opportunity to get in touch with me and you didn't. You know I needed resolution and you didn't give that to me! How many times that summer did we talk about how much I needed resolution from my relationship with Harry? That I couldn't give my heart to you until I could resolve things with Harry?"

With a look of pain and guilt, Blaise leaned forward. "Gin, you can't imagine how much–"

"No!" Ginny shot out of her seat. "You sent an owl to me with the words, 'I'm sorry.' An _owl_! Can you imagine how that made me feel? How worthless? If you didn't want me anymore or couldn't be with me anymore, just say so! If you can't give me an explanation why, just say that! I don't care! Better you be straight about that than tell me nothing at all!"

Ginny's voice broke. "And then suddenly we bump into each other again after almost two years and you act like nothing happened. What we had may have been some casual fling to you, but it meant something to me so have some respect for my feelings." Ginny tried blinking away her tears, but finally gave up. "And while I'm here…"

Ginny pulled out her wand, muttered a few words and a small pouch appeared. "I keep trying to return this, but your father won't accept it on your behalf, and whatever spell you put on it makes it impossible to throw it away or destroy, so here, take it back. Next time, don't make promises you can't keep." With a sob, she flung the small satchel in Blaise's direction and ran back into the house.

As Ginny left, Blaise wiped his eyes and looked down at the bag in his hands, remembering.

_You could feel it in the air. It was the last moment of peace they were going to have until Voldemort's hopeful defeat and they didn't have much time left. The Zabinis were escaping tonight, and Blaise had to beg to have this final time with Ginny._

"_Ginny, come with me! My parents would love to have you with us in Italy," Blaise urged._

_Ginny shook her head regretfully. "You know I can't. This is my fight, too, and I couldn't live with myself if my whole family went into battle while I escaped."_

"_You know I can't stay here, right?" Blaise asked anxiously._

"_I don't want you to stay. You should leave while you can." The Zabinis were much closer to Voldemort and the thought of the kind of danger Blaise could be in if he stayed sent shudders down Ginny's back._

"_I love you!" Blaise held on to Ginny tightly as she cried. _

"_I love you, too," she whispered. He pulled back from her and rummaged through his pocket until he found a little drawstring pouch lined in velvet._

"_I was going to give this to you earlier, but I wanted everything to be perfect. We're way too young to be thinking about marriage, but I want you to keep this for me until I can come back and give it to you right."_

_With her eyes swimming with tears, Ginny laughed and cried at the same time. "Blaise, I don't care how old we are. I'd marry you today if I can."_

_Blaise shook his head resolutely. "When I put this ring on your finger, it's with the vow that I'm never leaving your side. For now, keep it as a promise that we'll be together again after this is all over."_

"_Blaise, it's time," Mrs. Zabini called over. She smiled sadly at Ginny before returning her gaze in Blaise's direction. _

"_I'm coming," he replied. He wrapped Ginny in his arms. "I'll see you when Voldemort's defeated," he whispered in her ear._

"_Promise?" Ginny asked anxiously, looking up into his dark eyes._

"_Promise," Blaise vowed fervently._

* * *

**A/N:** Thanks for reading! Please r/r. 


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

_**A/N: Sorry this chapter took so long. I couldn't decide how to put some things in here, but I think I have it figured out. Hope you enjoy!**_

_**Disclaimer: Anything you recognize from the Harry Potter books belongs to JK Rowling!**_

He woke up to someone poking his side and a blinding white light flashed in his eyes. Groaning in pain, Colin Creevey was amazed that he had enough strength to even make that small amount of noise.

"Wake up! I must examine you!" Someone yelled in a slight accent. There was further poking and Colin wished that whoever was trying to get his attention would step back a little, because really, they knew nothing about personal hygiene.

"Hello? Hello?" He continued. Colin could at least recognize now that the voice was male. Unfortunately, Colin was right before and he didn't have enough strength to try speaking again. "Hmm…it's just as I thought. This one's done for. I'll need another Healer to take this fellow away."

Alarmed that they thought he was dead, Colin frantically tried to struggle. At least the poking stopped. Colin managed to groan again and tried to move his head toward the direction of the voice speaking.

"Mr. MacTarvert! What are you doing out of bed? This isn't even your ward. Now let's get you back to where you belong," a female voice said.

"I'll have you know I'm a respectable Healer around here, and I'm trying to examine these patients!" Mr. MacTarvert announced in an affronted tone.

"Of course, Mr. MacTarvert," she said soothingly. "But you're not scheduled for this ward today. Here's Healer Spencer. He'll take you to the right ward."

"Not this ward, you say? I must have gotten my days mixed up. Thank you. Spencer, we'd better hurry. I'm late to my appointments!" And with that, Mr. MacTarvert was whisked out of the room.

"Mr. Creevey? Are you awake? I apologize about that. Sometimes our patients get a little mixed up. I hope he didn't bother you," the female voice said kindly.

Colin managed to open his eyes a crack before he quickly shut them again. The light was still blinding and he groaned again.

"You're at St. Mungo's, and we found you on our doorstep. I can see you're not up to conversation yet. Here, take this potion." Colin swallowed something that tasted a bit minty mixed with something else.

"It should take affect in a few minutes. You're quite in some condition. But I'll talk more about that later. For now, you just rest."

As the kind lady left the room, Colin hoped the potion would start working soon, because he didn't want to remember what happened to him. He hoped that if he stayed unconscious enough, then maybe they won't come back and do that again to him.

Colin didn't remember getting back to London, but that was the least of his worries. There were some brief flashes of a dark, dirty basement somewhere and a lot of pain. Colin hastily pushed those memories away, but he could still hear himself swearing over and over again never to interfere again.

And a cold shiver ran down his neck and back as he recalled his last memory.

_The figure smiled in cold satisfaction at the huddled figure before him. "Good, now you know what can happen to you if you don't keep your promise. Tell your superiors I have my own set of plans in place and will have news soon." The figure checked his watch. "I'm late."_

_Colin Creevey fell into unconsciousness as he was left alone. He wasn't sure how he was going to manage to get back home and pass on the message. He didn't even know where he was, but hoped he lived long enough to even get that far._

Colin fell into dreamless sleep as that memory faded away.

**-:--:--:--:--:--:--:--:-**

Hermione continued to look on at Malfoy in suspicion. "Intimidation is not going to work on me, Malfoy. Now step back."

"I'm serious. What's your answer?" Malfoy didn't move away one step.

Hermione reluctantly complied. "Fine. I guess it wouldn't hurt to listen to what you have to say. But don't think I'm going to blindly follow your lead!" She stepped around him to enter the hotel room.

Malfoy smirked. "You will if you know what's good for you." He followed behind her and closed the door. Hermione chose to ignore that comment.

The penthouse was beautiful and quite spacious, with plush furniture and thick carpeting. The hotel obviously offered every amenity available to accommodate its guests. She followed him into the sitting room where Malfoy lounged on a white couch lined with throw pillows in red and green tones. Hermione chose the arm chair, since she wasn't going to sit anywhere near Malfoy.

"So talk," Hermione told him stiffly.

"Whatever I say in this room can't leave here." When Granger only looked on at him expectantly, Draco continued. He still wanted to protect Zabini's involvement in all of this, but he didn't want Granger letting something slip that might get the She-Weasel suspicious. "My contact told me that I could find Ginny Weasley at Zabini's place. Blaise has no idea that we are coming. So when we get there, don't say anything about the Ministry or that I was there."

"Then how are we going to explain why I am with you?"

Draco couldn't help but add, "I wouldn't have to if you didn't insist on coming!" Hermione just narrowed her eyes. "Fine," he said in exasperation. "Just say that someone contacted you that Ginny was there at Zabini's place. We met at his property by luck. I came to see him since I was in town and you were there to pick up She-W–er–_Ginny_."

"I don't understand why all this subterfuge? Why can't he know that you work for the Ministry?"

"The Zabinis have always been neutral and Blaise moves in both circles. If he knows nothing, he can't accidentally slip to the wrong party my involvement with the Ministry. Then my life is at stake and you get nothing about what the Death Eaters are doing," Draco explained patiently as though he was talking to an eight-year-old.

Hermione wished that she could smack him. He was just so irritating! In Hermione's opinion, Zabini seemed to be pretty close-lipped. It didn't look like it would be too hard on him not to say anything to someone. But what did she know? All she knew about him was from that one summer when he was seeing Ginny. Hermione hoped Ginny was fine alone with Zabini. They never really got any closure on that relationship, and though Ginny seemed fine now, Hermione knew that it still had to hurt.

"Ok, I won't say anything. So let's go. The sooner we can get Ginny back, the better," Hermione said. They both stood up.

"We can't apparate from here. Since I'm a guest, I can apparate from the hallway," Draco told her. Hermione got to the front door first. Opening the door, Hermione nearly slammed into Pansy Parkinson.

"Parkinson? What are you doing here?" Hermione asked.

"This is Draco's room. What are _you_ doing in it?" Pansy asked accusingly.

"Granger, what's holding you up?" Draco asked. He saw Pansy and resisted the urge to close his eyes in frustration. Could _nothing_ go right? He put on his smirk again. "Pansy, good to see you."

"Draco, I thought we were sharing this penthouse. What is _she_ doing here?" Pansy had her hands on her waist.

Draco rolled his eyes. "Don't you know? We're dating now. You've been replaced," he said sarcastically.

"Really? Congratulations! You've got a good girl in Hermione," a voice boomed. Theodore Nott had reached the party in time to hear that last comment and couldn't be happier. Not that he cared for Granger, or anything, but maybe if Draco was seeing someone else, then Pansy would finally start noticing him instead.

Everyone turned to see that Pansy had been escorted by Theodore Nott. He had wrapped an arm around Pansy's waist, and Pansy was trying her best to remove it. Now Draco really wanted to hit something. Nott had been after Pansy for years, and if he thought this could work to his advantage to get Pansy's attention away from Draco, then he was going to use it.

"No, we are not together!" Draco said in absolute disgust.

Hermione couldn't help but be insulted. If anyone was going to be upset, it should be her for having been linked to an absolute prat in the first place. "Oh _Draco_, don't you think we've been hiding it for long enough? When we're here to celebrate our third anniversary?" Hermione asked sweetly. Draco glared at her.

"You've been together secretly for three years?" Nott asked with interest.

"Three months, but you know how it is when you're in love," Hermione added.

Pansy wanted to gag. "That's a lie! Drake's been with me the past few months!"

"Parkinson, we've been over this. We are _not _together. Didn't you get past this in Hogwarts?" Draco asked.

"Shut up, Draco," Pansy snapped. "I meant we've been hanging out constantly the past few months, and you would never stoop so low as to date _that_!"

Hermione was fuming. "At least he has the taste not to be with a bi-"

"Ok, that's enough," Draco interrupted. "We are not together, not that there's anything wrong with that." He added that last part to appease Granger who really looked like she could kill someone. "But it's none of your business why she's here. And Parkinson, you said you weren't coming, so maybe I made other arrangements."

"Theo here very kindly escorted me to this hotel. It so happens that he has the room across the hall." Pansy turned to Theodore Nott, who looked a little sheepish.

Draco looked over at Nott. "Really? What luck," he drawled.

"I thought I'd check out Rome and see what all the fuss is about," Nott muttered.

"I thought we were sharing a room, but if you've made other arrangements, then maybe I'll just stay with Theo!" Pansy said, a little hurt.

"There's plenty of room," Nott was quick to add.

"Let's go. I'll talk to you later, Draco!" Pansy flounced off, pulling Nott with her across the hall.

"Let's go," Draco said, slamming the door shut behind them. "We're going to have to do another side-along apparition."

Draco was surprised when Hermione wrapped her arms around him, but smirked when he saw that it was for Pansy's benefit. Hermione leaned over around Draco's body to wave good-bye to Pansy, who was gaping at her in hatred. It was worth it having to stay so close to Malfoy if she could get that kind of reaction from Parkinson.

**-:--:--:--:--:--:--:--:-**

Ginny ended up back in the Blaise's library, since that the one of the few places that she knew how to reach. Wiping away her tears, she decided that it was time she made some decisions. She couldn't wait for Blaise to find Hermione. She will go to Ministry headquarters herself and find Hermione or Remus. If they say that it's not safe for her to stay at her hotel, then she will just get another one. Maybe they could suggest a place.

Ginny felt a little better now that she had taken more control over what was going to happen to her. She shouldn't have let Blaise distract her like that. It was just so confusing! Ginny had been so sure that she was over him, especially after that tearful good-bye with Harry.

Speaking of Harry, Ginny hoped that he and Ron were safe, wherever they were at the moment. Seeing Blaise again made her realize that yes, she really was over Harry. They had some good memories, but Ginny could move past that now. Maybe this would give Ginny a chance to do the same with Blaise. She was tired of being bitter over their break-up, and it was time to get on with her life. She should start dating again. Maybe she would find someone at Fuselli. At least they would have an interest in acting in common.

Ginny felt a little guilty about accepting a place at Fuselli this summer. She was sure a lot of people would kill for a chance here, and all she was doing was using it as an opportunity to get away from home for the summer. At least she knew Italian, which is good.

Don't get her wrong, Ginny loved the theater. Nothing compared to acting. Losing yourself in another character was so freeing. But Ginny couldn't help but question why she wanted to pursue this thing in New York so badly. Honestly, London had some great opportunities, too.

Ginny supposed it was because she wanted to have her own chance to go and do something for herself in a place where no one knew her as one of the Weasleys. She enjoyed acting because she was good at it, the same way Ron wanted to be an auror because he was so good at strategizing, or the twins with their joke shop because they were genius at pranks. Acting gave Ginny a chance to do something and be acknowledged for it. If she couldn't go to New York in the fall, she didn't know what she wanted to do. Would joining a school near home be compromising?

Ginny didn't get a chance to dwell on that for much longer, because there was a knock on the library door. "Ginny?" Blaise asked as he poked his head in the door. "Can I come in?" he asked quietly. Ginny nodded.

Ginny was sitting at the writing desk facing the window outside. She had turned around to face him, and after a bit of hesitation, he pulled a chair and sat across from her. Blaise looked down at his clasped hands for a second before looking up into her eyes. "Ginny, I'm sorry. I know that doesn't make up for anything I did, but I needed you to hear the words. I know I hurt you, and believe me, I never meant to do that."

"Then why did you do it?" Ginny asked in a rough voice. She was tired of crying over him and blinked back some angry tears.

"A lot of stuff happened after I left you, and I thought you were better off without me. I did some things I'm not proud of and you deserved someone better than me." Blaise debated once again on how much to tell her. "Since leaving you, I've done some things I'm not proud of and hope I never have to do again." He didn't mention that he was still doing some things he'd rather not do. "I can't say what happened, but I've been in a lot of dangerous situations and I never wanted you to get hurt because of me."

"You and Harry! Always trying to protect me!" Ginny stood up and paced before facing him. "Did you ever think for a moment that I am old enough and smart enough to take care of myself? I don't want to be protected! Let me make my own decisions!"

"I'm sorry, but if there was something I can do to make sure you never suffered physical pain a day in your life, then you know I'm going to do that! I'm not sorry for it either!" Blaise yelled back fiercely. "You've always known that this is a part of my personality."

"And you should know that I'm my own person, too! At least consult me before treating me like a child!"

"I can't! I couldn't," Blaise hastily added. "I couldn't talk to you about these things because just talking to you could get other people involved in my situation hurt. I had no right to play with their lives like that."

Ginny looked on at him in confusion. Just what did he do that was so dangerous? Then it hit her. Shocked, she sat down again. "Blaise, were you involved with the Death Eaters during the war against Voldemort? Did you fight on their side? Were you one of the people who hurt my family and friends?"

"I- no," he denied. Blaise looked surprised by Ginny's questions. She couldn't tell if it was because he couldn't believe she would accuse him of those things or because she was right and he was surprised that she worked it out.

"I can't stay here anymore. Please, take me to the Ministry," Ginny whispered, looking away.

In defeat, Blaise got up. "Ok, I'll take you."

A house elf approached then. "Mr. Blaise, sir, you have visitors, in the foyer."

"Thank you, I'll go meet them." The house elf disappeared, and Blaise got up and Ginny followed out of curiosity.

**-:--:--:--:--:--:--:--:-**

"You can let go of me now, Granger, we're here." Malfoy announced.

Hermione quickly let go. "Why do you have to be such a prat?"

"It's part of my charm," he replied. Knocking on the door, a house elf greeted them. "Tell Zabini we're here. We'll wait in the foyer," he ordered

Recognizing Draco, the house elf stepped back to allow them entrance. "Yes sir, Mr. Blaise has visitors." The house elf disappeared as Draco and Hermione stepped through.

"Really, Draco, you could have been nicer to that poor house elf," Hermione admonished him.

"Don't tell me you're still into elf rights; all that 'spew' nonsense. And when did I become Draco to you?"

Hermione blushed. "Believe me, calling you by your first name is a mistake I'll never make again. And it's S.P.E.W. for your information!"

"It's still a bunch of nonsense. House elves are happy where they are and you just like to stir up trouble."

"I think you're just trying to come up with ways to make me mad," she retorted.

"Believe me, Granger, you're such an unhappy person, it doesn't take much to get you started," Draco replied, grinning.

Hermione didn't resist the urge to hit him this time. "Ow! You violent woman! Is this the way you were raised to solve your problems?"

Hermione shrieked, but before she could launch into him, Blaise and Ginny arrived.

"Hermione? Draco Malfoy? What are you two doing here?" Ginny asked in disbelief.

Blaise simply stood back, raising an eyebrow at Draco in question. Draco's mask was on now and he didn't respond.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

_**A/N: Writer's block and real life got in the way of this story, but I hope to be back a little more regularly now.**_

**_Disclaimer: Anything you recognize from the _Harry Potter_ books doesn't belong to me!_**

* * *

"Ginny!" Hermione shrieked and launched herself on the younger girl. 

Ginny stumbled back a few steps, but only felt relief to see her friend again. Although it had only been since this morning that they had parted, so much had happened since then that it was good to see someone familiar again who wasn't involved in all of this sudden craziness. "It's so good to see you! But how did you get my letter so fast?"

Hermione tried to hide her surprise, but she didn't realize that Ginny had actually sent her a note. She couldn't bluff her way through it that well if she didn't now what the message said.

"Of course she didn't get your letter yet. Owls don't travel _that_ fast," Blaise said with some amusement. "I had left a message earlier for my contact to get back to me about locating Granger, since you were here. Obviously my message was passed along after all."

Ginny seemed to accept that, much to Hermione's relief. "Are you ready to go back with me? Remus wants to talk to you."

Ginny nodded. "I left my purse in the other room. But wait, what about you, Malfoy? What are you doing here?"

"I have more reason to be here than you do, Weasley," Malfoy drawled. Ginny bristled at that, but Draco continued. "But if you must know, I came here to see Zabini and met Granger at the door. It's getting to be a regular Hogwarts reunion around here or something. Here I am in Italy on holiday and end up seeing you two instead. No place is safe anymore; it's a Griffindor infestation."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Shut it, ferret. Two people are hardly an infestation."

"Well, at least Potter and Weasley aren't here. That would ruin my whole vacation. As it is, my vacation is still salvageable."

"Why didn't you say so? If that's all it takes to get rid of you, I should call them up and have them join us," Hermione retorted.

Blaise sensed that this was about to get out of hand fast, and interceded before Draco could say something thta would incite Hermione's famous temper again. That girl had a surprisingly shrill voice. "Both of you are welcome to stay and chat, but Hermione, didn't you mention that you needed to return to the Ministry?"

That sufficiently distracted her. "Oh! I forgot. We really do need to get going, Ginny." She followed Ginny as they left to retrieve Ginny's purse.

"I'll explain more later," Draco spoke lowly as soon as the girls were out of hearing distance. Just to be on the safe side, he cast a silencing charm.

Blaise nodded. "Let me know when we can set up another meeting time. I have things to discuss, too. Having Ginny here has set me back some, but I think I can get things back on track."

"As far as I know, this shouldn't affect your mission. Continue as before, but expect to hear from me later today," Draco instructed. "I'll be joining those two back at the IMM auror headquarters. If I learn anything that may alter our plans, I'll notify you."

"Can you at least tell me how much Granger knows about me? Is my cover affected?"

Draco shook his head. "Nothing as of yet. You are an innocent bystander in all of this so far. That may change once we return to auror headquarters, but I hope it won't come to that," Draco added a bit grimly.

Blaise wasn't too happy to hear that, but accepted it as fact. "So where's Pansy? Is she back at the penthouse?"

"About that, don't report anything to Parkinson for now. She came here on her own with Nott. It's probably nothing, but I'd rather be safe than sorry."

Blaise smiled. "If I'm lucky, she'll develop a thing for him instead and leave me alone."

Draco snorted. "Don't be so sure. Theo would be more than happy to take her on, but that won't stop her from clinging on to you, too. She still won't leave me alone and she lost romantic interest in me a long time ago." Blaise groaned good naturedly at his fate. "Of course, that could just be the Malfoy charm," Draco added and sighed. "I just can't seem to help it. It's a curse." Again Blaise groaned. Sometimes his friend's ego was just too much.

**-:--:--:--:--:--:--:--:-**

"Hermione, it's so good to see you," Ginny whispered fervently.

"How have you been holding up?" Hermione asked sympathetically.

"I don't know. Seeing him again has brought back all of these feelings that I thought I dealt with a long time ago. We're both different people now, but I still wonder what our lives would have been like if things had worked out for us."

"Do you want to go back home?" Hermione asked, hoping Ginny would say yes. She would be a lot better protected that way.

Ginny was tempted, but finally shookher head. "No, I've made an obligation here, and I'm going to see it through."

"We'll discuss this back at the Ministry," Hermione finally said.

Ginny smiled. "I was so shocked when I saw you with Draco at the door."

"Draco Malfoy is rude, annoying and arrogant! I don't know how Blaise can stand to be his friend!" Hermione ranted.

Ginny grinned and gave Hermione a sly glance. "You haven't bickered with someone so much since you and Ron began courting back in Hogwarts days."

"Ginevra Weasley, if you are implying what I think you are implying, you need your head examined! That's disgusting!" Ginny merely laughed as Hermione shuddered at the thought.

The two found Ginny's purse and headed back to the front door. Ginny paused and bit her lip, wondering how much to tell Hermione now. "Um, 'Mione, there's something going on here in Italy, and I don't know how much Blaise is involved, but there's some danger. And I don't know for sure, but I think it involves me in some way."

Hermione looked a little uneasy, which didn't help alleviate Ginny's suspicions any. "Gin, let's discuss this later when we get back to the Ministry. Then you can tell us how you came to be with Blaise instead of back at your hotel."

"Okay. I just thought I should let you know." The two were silent the rest of the way back, both lost in their own thoughts.

The good-bye between Blaise and Ginny was awkward, but over soon enough. Hermione did an admirable job of ignoring Draco, though, who couldn't let them leave without a snide comment or two. Or several. Hermione itched to say something back, but Ginny's remark about their arguments being similar to the ones she had with Ron was still fresh in her mind.

Ginny took a last look at Blaise's home before she prepared herself to apparate back with Hermione. Surprisingly, Ginny felt that she was going to miss this house and she'd only been inside of it for a brief amount of time.

They arrived back at IMM headquarters where Ginny was checked in and given a visitors badge. "Come on, the auror department is this way," Hermione directed. "I think Remus should still be talking with the department head."

"Good. There's so much I want to tell you. Do you know what Remus wants to talk to me about? Does it have anything to do with that danger I mentioned to you back at Zabini's place?" Ginny asked.

Before Hermione could respond, they arrived at the office of Eduardo Salvatore. Funnily enough, Ginny had a similar reaction as Hermione did the first time she entered his offce. "You! Draco Malfoy? What's going on? Didn't we just leave you at Blaise Zabini's place?" Ginny was floored to see him sprawled on a chair in the office looking bored and impatient.

Draco scowled. "What took you two so long? Do you just apparate slow or what?"

"_Apparate slow_? How can anyone even apparate slow?" Hermione couldn't help but reply.

Draco shrugged. "I don't know, but I'm sure you found a way!"

Hermione pursed her lips in annoyance. It was beginning to be a more permanent expression on her face the longer she was stuck in Draco's presence. "For your information, I had to check Ginny in before we could get in here!"

Draco frowned. "Why didn't you just aparate in at the point I showed you before? They already knew Ginny was expected here."

Hermione shook her head. "It's in the rules that everybody who visits the Ministry must be registered-"

"You're such a goody two shoes, Granger," Draco interrupted in annoyance. "You've wasted precious time-"

"Can you two argue later?" Ginny interrupted this time. "I'd really like to know what's going on some time this century!"

**-:--:--:--:--:--:--:--:-**

Pansy paced back and form in the sitting area of Theodore Nott's room back at the hotel. Draco Malfoy could be so annoying! They were supposed to be partners in all of this! What did he think he was doing dropping her like this? Didn't he know who he was messing with?

Theo lounged on the couch watching her pace. "Do you want a drink?"

"Not right now," Pansy said absentmindedly as she continued her pacing. She needed to find out what Draco was doing and why he was treating her this way. And what was up with Granger being here?

"There's the master bedroom, and of course the guest room. You can use the guest room or perhaps share the master with me?" Theo couldn't help but offer.

Pansy paused from her pacing and gave him a look. "I"m not staying."

Theo paused in confusion. "Then would you like me to book another room for you here at the hotel?"

"Don't be stupid, I'm staying with Draco. He's just...confused."

Theodore recalled his previous encounter with Draco and Hermione in the hallway. "Are you sure about that? He and Miss Granger seemed to be pretty cosy."

"If Draco Malfoy thinks he can replace me that easily, he is sadly mistaken!" Pansy ranted, still lost in her thoughts. "What does he think he's doing? He's lucky I'm still talking to him! I need to think. Make plans."

"Well, thinking and planning is always better on a full stomach. Care to have lunch with me downstairs? If you share your dilemma with me, maybe I can be of service," he offered. If things worked out right at lunch, maybe he could convince Pansy to stay with him instead and give him a chance.

"You know, you're right. Let's go." Pansy grabbed him by the arm and led him back downstairs.

* * *

**_A/N: This was slightly shorter than I would have liked, but I wanted to go ahead and release this chapter. Please review and let me know what you think._**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven**

**Disclaimer: Anything you recognize from the _Harry Potter_ books does not belong to me!**

"I hear the veal is good," Theo suggested as they were seated in the restaurant downstairs.

It was a beautiful place and obviously catered to a privileged clientele. Bright and airy, the restaurant had been done in sandy tones with splashes of blue and green to give the room a more tropical theme. Lush plants had been strategically placed around tables to give guests a semblance of privacy and a faint breeze had been cast. An immense fountain held court in the center of the room, and a faux river meandered around tables and chairs.

"What was he thinking? Does Draco think he can do this without me? I'm still a part of this, too, you know!" Pansy fumed.

"Uh, or we can try the chicken…" Theo continued. As soon as he mentioned chicken, the menu revealed their poultry selections.

"I just need to get his attention. Start my own investigation. When he sees how much I've uncovered, he'll be begging me for forgiveness!" Pansy vowed.

"How about an appetizer?" Theo offered again.

Pansy was bewildered. "What are you talking about? I can't eat at a time like this!"

Now it was Nott's turn to look confused. "Then why are we here if it's not to have lunch?"

"To be seen, of course! What if Draco comes downstairs? He needs to know that he can't get rid of me that easily!"

"Then won't it be more believable if there's plates of food in front of us?" Theo suggested. He personally doubted that Draco would personally care, but it was probably best if he kept that information to himself.

Pansy pursed her lips and squinted her eyes in thought. "Hmmm. I suppose. Fine, give me a salad."

There was a brief silence after Theo ordered. Now bored, Pansy took a sip of her water and began people watching. She wondered if anyone she knew was staying here. If she was going to start her own investigation, it wouldn't hurt to see if she had any allies here.

"You know, Pans, if you just tell me what's going on, I might be able to help," Theo finally said. It had been ten minutes and Pansy still hadn't said a word to him since they ordered. How was he to get her attention if she wouldn't even speak to him?

Pansy finally turned his way, considering him. "I'm going to the powder room." And with that, she left him alone at the table.

Theo watched her leave, a look of speculation on his face. He smirked. Things were working out much better than he expected. Once he gained her trust, he could put his plans into motion. But first, he needed to make a few calls. Using his wand to call the waitress back to the table, he arranged to set up a fire call.

Pansy was just leaving the ladies' room when she was grabbed from behind. Before she could scream, a hand covered her mouth as a hasty silencing spell was cast. "Shh! Be quiet! I'm not supposed to even be here!" Someone whispered.

Wait. She knew that voice. "Percy?"

-:--:--:--:--:--:--:--:-

Ginny paced as she waited for an answer from someone in the room. Draco and Hermione were still glaring at each other heatedly, so obviously she wasn't going to get any answers from that end. She looked to Remus instead.

"Ginny, this is Eduardo Salvatore, who is head of the auror department here."

Mr. Salvatore cleared his throat. With a faint accent, he responded. "Miss Weasley, we have received news that you are in danger, and have called Mr. Malfoy here to bring you in so that we may better protect you and discuss the situation. Please, have a seat."

With the assurance that she was finally getting some answers, she sat down on the nearest chair and waited. The chair was surprisingly uncomfortable, so she made a point not to lean back against the cushions.

"Ginny, they think the Death Eaters are interested in you," Hermione finally said.

"Draco here has uncovered some information that you might be in danger and debriefed us with the news just this morning," Remus continued.

"There has been a rise in activity recently here, and with your presence in Italy, we have reason to believe that there might be a connection to your arrival," Mr. Salvatore offered. "I am aware that you are enrolled in an educational program this summer, but I'm afraid that it might be a danger to other students to have you continue."

Shocked, Ginny didn't know what to say, but Hermione was quick to assure her of the school's safety. "I'm sure they will increase security at the school to make sure that everyone at Fuselli is safe, but your presence there might be an added danger," Hermione informed apologetically.

"What am I supposed to do? Sit at home and twiddle my thumbs?" Ginny whispered.

"You could always participate in this operation and help us try to bring down these criminals. After all, you can't have a life until this is taken care of anyway," Draco suggested.

Hermione was appalled. "That's impossible! Are you crazy?"

"It's just an idea," Draco replied with a shrug.

"Draco, Ginny has not had any training," Remus added.

"My aurors have an excellent reputation, and we are more than capable of handling this situation ourselves!" Salvatore announced, offended.

"I'm sure they are quite capable, Mr. Salvatore, but you have to admit that using Weasley here as bait would definitely speed things along a little." Draco didn't seem to care that everyone was glaring at him.

Ginny didn't think Draco's suggestion was all that bad. "Draco's right. I can't just do nothing. This is my life here you're all talking about. If there's something I can do to stop this, you have to let me try. I don't know why they've suddenly targeted me, but I can't just run and hide somewhere."

"Your desire to contribute is admirable, but as we've said before, you are untrained and simply not equipped to participate in this mission," Eduardo Salvatore mentioned. "You will be assigned guards to protect you until we can find a solution to this problem. It might be best for you to return home until this situation is resolved."

"You're not listening to me! I am a lot more capable than you think. Some of you seem to have forgotten that I got top marks in Defense of the Dark Arts in school, and I had more than enough credits to enter into an auror training program after Hogwarts. But I didn't choose that route so that I could do something else. But obviously, I can't do something else until this is taken care of. Let me try! At least put some of my acting skills to use," Ginny argued.

Salvatore gave a heavy sigh. "We will consider it. But it is a last resort if we agree at all. Until then, you may stay in the country, but only under heavy guard."

Ginny frowned, but didn't say anything more on the subject. It was better than nothing.

"Ginny, we have retrieved your things from the hotel room and I've arranged for you to have alternative quarters until a better solution is found," Remus informed.

"Wait, I just remembered something. There was a group of people at the station after I arrived. It was right after I met Blaise at the station. They were looking for someone, a girl. But the officer said that they were captured. Do you think they might have been minions hired by the Death Eaters to come after me? If they've been captured, maybe we can question them and find something."

Salvatore looked up sharply and immediately called for his assistant to find more information on the arrest of these people. "If they were apprehended for disturbance of the peace, they may already have been released by now. But we may get lucky."

Ginny grinned, glad to have contributed to this crazy mess. "So how did you guys know that I was at Zabini's? Did you really get our note?"

"Malfoy got a call," Hermione replied.

Ginny stood up abruptly. "So not only is Draco somehow on our side, but Blaise is involved in this too?!" Draco cursed under his breath. Well, he knew it was too good to be true that he could keep Blaise out of this.

"He does favors for me now and then. Once I discovered that the Death Eaters were focused on you for some reason, I let Blaise know to keep me informed if he learned anything. He hears things sometimes because of his position in Wizarding society." Of course, that was not all he did, but the less they knew, the better.

Hermione didn't believe a word of it, but there wasn't much she could do about that now until she had some more information. With this discovery, she wondered about Blaise's actions in the past, particularly his disappearance from Ginny's life. What was he really doing in the war?


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: Nothing you recognize from the _Harry Potter_ books belongs to me!  
**

* * *

The look of shock on her face was perfect, he decided. He knew Pansy never expected to see him again, much less here of all places. Percy grinned. "So did you miss me?" He asked slyly as he captured her hand in both of his. Pansy was glaring at him as she yanked her hand away, but he couldn't help but enjoy teasing her a bit. Like most people, she always took him so seriously. People, even his own family, had a tendency to forget that he, too, was a Weasley, and like most Weasleys, had a lighter, more mischievous side to his nature. 

"You are such a pest! What do you want?" Pansy demanded as she tugged him toward a more discreet corner of the restaurant.

Percy sobered then as he got back to business. Pansy relaxed just slightly now that they were back on more familiar ground. "I've got news," he informed, "Can you talk?"

Pansy frowned in concern. "Is this business or personal?"

"Business," he replied. _And personal_, he added silently.

"I can't now, I'm having a late lunch with Theodore Nott. But maybe later this afternoon or early this evening. Can you stay for that long?"

Percy shook his head. "The family will miss me if I'm not there for dinner."

"I'm staying with Nott, so it might take some time to shake him loose." Pansy bit her lip as she contemplated her options. "But if this is serious…"

"It is," Percy was quick to assure her.

Pansy gave a decisive nod. "Alright then. Give me an hour and I will meet you at the spa. I'll just tell him I need to pamper myself or something." Percy agreed and watched as Pansy departed. He had to admit he missed sparring with her. It was one of the few things he enjoyed during his time as a spy. It was a life he sort of fell into and hoped to leave behind him for good after Voldemort was gone. Unfortunately, it didn't look as though he could return to his normal life anytime soon. He checked his watch as he left the restaurant and impatiently waited for an hour to pass.

Back at the table, Theo successfully managed to have his floo call arranged quickly and privately. He was escorted to a private room to make his calls. "If Miss Parkinson returns to our table before I do, please inform her that I will be with her shortly," he instructed. The hotel assistant nodded and graciously left the room. The instant he gained some privacy, Theodore cast a strong silencing spell and got down to business. The only number he had was the general line, so it took some maneuvering to get connected to the right room quickly.

"Who is this?" A thin voice croaked from the other end of the fire.

"Creevey, looking much better than the last time we met, I see," Nott greeted with a smirk. He watched as Creevey paled, looking even more sickly than before. "Now that I no longer have your interference or have to clean up your mess, I can actually get some work done. Tell them that things are going according to plan. I will bring more word within the next few days."

"Stay away from me! I'll pass the message on, j-just leave me alone!"

"Don't be a coward. You're still alive, aren't you?" Nott said with disgust."I even put you where you could get medical attention." Colin disconnected the call without responding. Nott wasn't surprised by Creevey's reaction, but he had to admit he was disappointed in the level of competency that the Death Eaters of today were exhibiting. He mentally shrugged. It was his last mission anyway, and soon he could put all of this behind him. He had just one more call left to place before he could return to his date with the beautiful Pansy.

For Ginny, it had been an extremely long day that started at six and she was beginning to wonder if there was ever going to be an end in sight. She didn't know what to think anymore and was getting a headache from all of the excitement today. She sat back down and absentmindedly rubbed her temple as she wondered what the next plan of action would be.

Eduardo seemed to notice this and spoke up. "Miss Weasley, you have learned much since your arrival here. I'm sure you'd like some time to rest and process this information. My guards can escort you to your new accommodations if you prefer."

She really wanted to stay and figure out a way to get her life back on track and back into her own hands, but with all that had been going on since graduation, she was overwhelmed. Ginny smiled gratefully at the kind man. "That would be great, thank you."

Salvatore nodded. "I just ask that you not leave without one of our aurors as escort for your security and for our peace of mind." Ginny didn't like it, but acquiesced anyway.

"Hermione, I still have business to attend to here, but why don't you join Ginny back in your rooms? Once this is all straightened out, I will meet you there and we can discuss what we will do next," Remus suggested.

"But won't you need Hermione here?" Ginny asked. After all, Hermione came here for a purpose.

"You're much more important than some meetings, Gin," Hermione said.

"I don't mind being alone if you're needed here. Besides, I've got a guard now so you know I'll be safe," Ginny assured.

Hermione was torn. "I don't know. You just got here and I don't feel right about leaving you alone again so soon."

Draco sighed in exasperation. "For Merlin's sake Granger, she's a grown witch. She doesn't need you to hold her hand!"

"Stay out of this Malfoy! I wasn't talking to you!"

"Herms, Malfoy's right. I'm an adult now. I can make my own decisions and I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself alone," Ginny quickly assured in hopes of avoiding another senseless argument.

"I'm coming with you anyway," Hermione insisted.

Draco rolled his eyes in exasperation. "Well if I'm no longer needed here, I've got things to do. Salvatore, I'll let you know the minute I receive more news."

"Thank you Mr. Malfoy. Report to me on your progress in a few days." Salvatore stood up from behind his desk to escort Draco out. Draco nodded politely in Remus' direction before departing.

"A talented young man, but much too headstrong," Salvatore remarked.

"I agree. But as you said, he is young and patience will grow with time and experience," Remus replied. Salvatore made a call, and in no time, two aurors were sent to take Ginny to her hotel. Ginny again fought the urse to stay so as not to be missing out on any of the action that was going on at the Ministry, but she needed some time to make her own plans and decide for herself what it was that she wanted to do.

Upon leaving the Italian Ministry, Draco left a message for Blaise to meet him at a local coffee shop."Draco, good to see you. How long are you in town?" Blaise greeted.

"Not long, but I thought I'd look you up since I was here," Draco replied, shaking his hand warmly.

"Let's get a table," Blaise suggested and Draco followed him to a table in a private corner. After paying for their beverages, they were left alone and the two were able to get down to business.

"So what's going on with Ginny? I assume you brought her to the Ministry?" Blaise asked immediately.

"That's actually what I wanted to talk to you about," Draco replied. "They're going about it the wrong way. There's so much security around her now, the Eaters have got to suspect something. There's absolutely no subtlety."

Blaise snorted. "Personally, I think the more security the better. Better yet, why is she still in Italy? She should be sent straight home is what I say."

"You're not thinking with your head, Zabini," Draco said disapprovingly. "The more security that surrounds Weasley, the less likely we will discover what's going on."

"She's an amateur. Ginny shouldn't even be involved in this investigation," Blaise argued.

Draco was a firm believer in using all weapons and opportunities at your disposal, and if using Weasley as bait was the way to do it, then he was all for it. All this waiting and planning was driving him crazy. It made him glad that he wasn't a recognized auror, since he had slightly more freedom to do what was needed this way."You're underestimating her abilities. She may be poor and a girl, but she's still got brains," Draco countered.

Blaise shook his head in disbelief. "I never thought I'd see the daythat I'd see you defending a member of the Weasley family."

Sighing in near defeat, Draco leaned back in his chair in frustration. There was no use in talking to Blaise, either. Did no one see what was right in front of them? Here was an opportunity to actually get something done, and no one was listening. "Now is not the time for caution! We've got to make a move before this opportunity is lost."

"Yes, here's an opportunity, but we shouldn't blow it on some haphazard plan," Blaise replied sharply.

"I don't hear any better ideas," Draco replied heatedly.

Blaise snorted. "Didn't you just inform them of all this today? Give them some time to process and make a decision."

"What's there to think about? The answer's right in their face. We bring her into the social scene here in town and she acts as bait and wait to see if any suspected Death Eaters approach. If someone goes after her, we capture them and bring them in for questioning."

"Yeah, 'cause they'd just make it that easy," Blaise responded sarcastically.

"I don't hear you making any suggestions," Draco sneered.

Blaise was silent, since he knew they weren't going to get anywhere arguing the way they were. He knew that it didn't really matter what he thought about using Ginny, since he wasn't the decision maker in this operation anyway. "If Ginny's going to be involved in anything that's remotely dangerous, I'd feel better if she stayed close to me," he finally said.

"Hmm. That might work," Draco said slowly. "I think I have an idea. She's an actress, right?" Blaise looked in Draco's direction suspiciously, not sure where Draco was going with this.


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: **Nothing from _Harry Potter _belongs to me!

**Author's Note:** Thank you for your patience as I figured out this story! This chapter can be read on its own, but I suggest going back a chapter to refreshen your memories of this story. I hope you enjoy as I slowly set the stage to bring more Gin and Blaise time to the forefront. Like it? Hate it? Have suggestions? Please review.

* * *

"I'll meet you upstairs in an hour," Pansy promised as she walked away. She could sense Theo's eyes following her out of the restaurant. She found it more difficult than she thought to get away from Nott. After their meal, Theo had suggested that they go sightseeing, but she countered that she wanted to spend some time alone at the spa instead. Something about the way his easygoing expression froze momentarily just before he readily agreed to meet her after her spa time made her uneasy. 

But Pansy shrugged it off. It was just Theo, after all. She was aware of the fact that he had a slight crush on her, so it was possible he had a whole day planned for them to spend some time together. But he knew that they were just friends, Pansy reasoned. And besides, she could always just make it up to him later.

She pushed her worries about Nott aside and headed confidently toward the hotel spa. Pansy looked around, but Percy wasn't in sight. She shrugged. It was his loss if he didn't show up after all. Since she was here, she decided that she might as well take advantage of the spa's services. She approached the wide marble counter where a floating parchment advertised their menu of services.

"Welcome," a pleasant young witch greeted in Italian. "Are you a guest at our hotel? We are offering our guests a complimentary manicure today with the purchase of a massage."

Well that seemed nice. "Yes, my name is Pansy Parkinson. I am staying in one of the penthouses," she replied in her accented Italian.

"Oh, Miss Parkinson. I see you already have a massage scheduled. Would you like your manicure to follow your massage appointment?"

So that's where Percy hid. But if he thought she was going to disrobe in his presence, then he was out of his mind. Pansy was tempted to agree to the manicure right after, but decided not to push Nott's patience too far. "No, not right now. I may re-schedule the manicure for later," she answered instead.

The witch readily agreed and led Pansy across the entryway to a room down a side hallway. "Here you are. You may disrobe behind that screen. Someone should be with you shortly." The door closed gently behind her and Pansy found herself alone. She had just wandered behind the screen in search of a chair to sit on when the door abruptly opened again.

Peeking her head from the side of the screen, Pansy discovered Percy scanning the room for her wearing a confiscated employee uniform. "Oh good, it's just you," she said. She came from behind the screen. "So what's this all about?"

Percy whipped out his wand and transfigured the massage table into two chairs. "You'd better sit down," he said firmly.

Pansy was surprised. Percy was much more serious now than he was earlier. She wondered if something had happened in the past hour or whether he was just getting down to business. "Okay, what is it?" Pansy asked him as she took a seat.

"As you know, I've been working with my father at the Ministry since the war ended." Percy waited for Pansy to nod before he continued. "But just this morning I was called into the Auror office for a private meeting. Someone deactivated some wards from their secured file room and some personnel files have gone missing, including mine," he said grimly. "I've been drafted to discreetly notify the personnel involved and to start an investigation in the matter without anyone's knowledge."

Pansy gasped. "Are you saying my file is missing? Do they think it's someone from the inside?"

"Right on both counts. Until I can get a lead on who might be the culprit, you're going to have to be extra careful."

Pansy straightened her shoulders and lifted her chin up a notch. "Don't worry, I'm always careful. I was in Slytherin, remember?"

Leaning forward, Percy grabbed and held her hands tightly. "No, we don't know what these people are going to do with that information. I don't care if everyone thinks you're just paranoid. You have to take extra precautions."

Pansy didn't know what to say about this uncharacteristic show of emotion from Percy. "What aren't you telling me?" She asked softly.

Percy was silent for a moment as he looked down at their joined hands. "I just don't want to see anything happen to you."

"How many other files were stolen?"

"I can't tell you," he informed her. Releasing her hands, Percy stood up and paced the room. He was all business again. "I don't have much time before I have to get back. But I'll be in touch to update you on the status of your missing file."

"Percy, you'll be careful too, won't you?" Pansy asked as she watched him to prepare to apparate.

Percy gave her a half smile as he approached her. "Gryffindors may seem reckless to you Slytherins, but we know what we're doing." His lips gently brushed hers briefly before he apparated away.

-:--:--:--:--:--:--:--:-

"I believe that should be all for now, thank you," Eduardo Salvatore stood from behind his desk and everyone filed out in groups. After the brief meeting with Remus, Mr. Salvatore, and other members of his team, Hermione was being debriefed as she hurried to her hotel room.

Despite her worry over her friend and the guilt of leaving Ginny alone, Hermione was excited about honing her diplomatic skills. They should come in handy in her new line of work. Foreign dignitaries were due to arrive early this evening for a series of discussions, and it was Hermione and Remus' job to greet them upon their arrival and escort them to the dinner being held in their honor.

She studied the evening's schedule and mentally reviewed her wardrobe for something appropriate to wear. It had to be something proper for an evening out, but sensible enough to allow her free movement for security purposes in case something went wrong.

"So Hermione, what did you think?" Remus asked with a slight smile.

"Not what I expected, but I'm glad for the experience," Hermione grinned.

Remus shook his head. "An auror's duties don't always revolve around fighting and blasting away death eaters."

"You know, I think it would have been good for Ron and Harry to see this for themselves, too," Hermione said. She sometimes worried about Harry and his penchant for running non-stop into danger without thought to the consequences. Seeing a different side to an auror's life would be good for him. And Ron followed Harry heedlessly as well. Many of their fights since graduating from Hogwarts centered around just that.

"Perhaps you're right," Remus agreed. "When they finish with their tour of New York, I'll suggest it."

A meal was served during the meeting, so both Hermione and Remus skipped lunch and instead headed for the new foreign office.

-:--:--:--:--:--:--:--:-

Blaise followed Draco back to his hotel room. "What do you mean you want Ginny to infiltrate the club?! That's right in the thick of the DE's!"

"You said you wanted her to stay close to you," Draco reminded him impatiently. He threw his outer robe onto a wingchair and headed toward the executive desk in the next room.

"I may own the club, but you know that's not what I meant!" Blaise snapped as he hounded Draco's footsteps. "I left Ginny two years ago to protect her and now you want all of that to be for nothing?"

Draco made a sound of disgust. "Don't be so dramatic."

"Forget your plans. This is about her life!"

"She won't have a life if the Death Eaters get to her," Draco argued.

"And you think putting her closer to danger is the way to protect her life," Blaise stated in disbelief. "That's crazy."

"But it will work," Draco said fiercely. "We need to start planning. I'm going to present my idea tonight." He pulled some parchment from the desk and began taking notes. "Once my idea is approved, we'll inform Ginny Weasley of her role and start getting everything into place."

"Then I'm going with you when you present your plan," Blaise told him. "I think it's time I reveal my role in this war." Draco stared at him for a moment before eventually nodding in agreement.

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Ginny didn't know how she did it, but Hermione managed to fenagle a ticket to the dinner party for her as well. It wasn't Ginny's idea of fun, but it beat staying in her hotel room all night. She took a sip from her glass as she wandered through the crowd.

Hermione stood a few feet away monitoring security as Remus was in deep conversation with a senior member of the German contingency. Things were going quite smoothly, much to Hermione's relief, when she spied Draco enter in formal dress robes. What was he doing here? She knew for a fact that he was not invited this evening.

She made her way to the front of the room as Draco casually reached her side. His Lucius Malfoy face was on, so whatever it was had to be done discreetly. "What's going on?" Hermione murmured as she reached for an hor d'oeuvres from a passing tray.

"Just got back from a meeting with Salvatore. You, Weaslette and the wolf need to meet back in his office in ten minutes. He's got others taking over for you here."

Hermione nodded. "All right, I'll tell Ginny."

"She's being informed. Tell the wolf," he directed as he walked away.

As Hermione headed in Remus' direction, Ginny was in the other room where couples were assembled on the dance floor. She was just about to move away when a familiar pair of arms wrapped around her waist.

"Dance with me?" Blaise asked as he propelled her to the dance floor.

"What are you doing here, Blaise?" Ginny asked. His presence was surprising, but she thought he blended in quite well here. He fit his formal robes to perfection and she noticed a few female heads turn his way as they passed by.

"I wanted to dance with you," he replied, "and to ask you a question." It felt so right having Ginny in his arms again. The meeting with Salvatore went as expected and Blaise insisted on being the one to bring Ginny to the meeting. He thought she'd be at the hotel where they could talk privately, but that was not the case here, so he had to make do with the dance floor. Not that he minded much, since he doubted Gin would let him any closer in any other situation.

"What's your question?"

"Are you sure you won't change your mind about going home? You know you'll be safer there."

Ginny looked up at him and felt him strengthen his hold around her waist, bringing her closer to him. "Blaise, I'm not a doll you can put where you want to. This is my life and you can't run it for me."

"Then there's somewhere we have to be." Grabbing her hand, he lead her outside.


End file.
